DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

David Ward: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what support the Government will provide to promote National Voter Registration Day in 2015.

Greg Clark: Government welcomes initiatives that promote democratic engagement and increase electoral registration such as National Voter Registration day.
	The Government works with many organisations to encourage people to register to vote.

Northern Futures Board

Luciana Berger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons Liverpool has not been represented on the Northern Futures Board.

Nicholas Clegg: The aim of our Northern Futures initiative is to facilitate a new kind of conversation about how we rebalance our economy. There are no plans to create a “Northern Futures Board”, but Liverpool is strongly encouraged to join the Northern Futures conversation by submitting ideas via:
	northernfutures@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk

SCOTLAND

Alcoholic Drinks

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's policy is on alcohol consumption on the premises (a) in general and (b) during parties in his Private Office.

David Mundell: Scotland Office policy permits the modest provision of alcohol on those occasions when Ministers provide hospitality to external parties. The Office also allows third parties to hold events in its premises and allows them to provide alcohol. Parties are not held in Scotland Office ministerial private offices.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Armed Forces: Bullying and Suicide

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he had with the Director of the Services Prosecution Authority on steps to prevent (a) bullying and (b) suicide in the armed forces.

The Solicitor-General: Neither the Attorney-General nor I have had any such discussions with the Director of Service Prosecutions.
	Any steps to prevent bullying and suicide in the armed forces are a matter for the Ministry of Defence.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General in what proportion of cases in the (a) Crown court and (b) magistrates court the Crown Prosecution Service complied with its disclosure obligations (i) on time, (ii) late and (iii) not at all in each of the last three years.

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of compliance with disclosure requirements pertaining to the service of unused material. To obtain details of the number of cases where disclosure was made on time, late or not complied with, would require a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Attorney-General how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by the Law Officers' Departments in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

The Solicitor-General: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Serious FraudOffice Crown ProsecutionService Treasury Solicitor’sDepartment 
			  2013 2014 2013 2014 2013 2014 
			 Laptops 1 1 13 1 2 1 
			 Mobile Phones 1 1 4 0 0 0 
			 Blackberrys 0 0 0 1 0 1 
		
	
	The Attorney-General’s Office and the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have not recorded any losses of IT or communications technology during this period.

James Ibori

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on what grounds the Serious Fraud Office declined to investigate reports referred to it by the Department for International Development that UK aid may have been channelled via CDC Group and Energy Capital Partners into companies linked to James Ibori; and if he will make a statement.

The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office continues actively to evaluate material referred to it by the Department for International Development alleging that UK aid may have been channelled to companies linked to James Ibori.
	As part of that review it is examining whether there is any indication of an offence falling within the criminal jurisdiction of England and Wales as opposed to criminal jurisdictions overseas. No formal decision has yet been made in relation to this matter and no investigation has been opened.

Training

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Attorney-General how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in the Law Officers' Departments since May 2010.

The Solicitor-General: Ministers in the Attorney-General’s Office have not received any media or social media training which incurred expenditure from the public purse since the general election in 2010. There are no Ministers in the other Law Officers’ Departments.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many officials in the Church Commissioners, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Tony Baldry: The staff employed by the Church Commissioners and the other national institutions of the Church of England are not part of the civil service and are not on incremental scales. The value of pay awards from 2010 have been as follows:
	July 2010-3.5% (18 month deal)
	January 2012-2.7%
	January 2013-1.75%
	January 2014-1%

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how much and what proportion of the Commissioners' budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners, as one of the National Church Institutions (NCIs) alongside:
	(a) The Archbishops’ Council,
	(b) The Church of England Pensions Board,
	(c) The Archbishop of Canterbury (in his Corporate Capacity),
	(d) The Archbishop of York (in his Corporate Capacity),
	(e) Lambeth Palace Library,
	(f) The National Society (Church of England) for Promoting Religious Education
	jointly employ staff carrying out service functions that are often contracted out to external organisations-including Finance, Legal, HR, Communications, Records, IT and Office Services.
	The figures shown as follows represent the cost (and associated proportion of the Church Commissioners’ administration budget) of those wholly outsourced/contracted out activities that were not provided by the NCIs themselves.
	
		
			   £ million Percentage of total 
			 Actual 2009 1.0 10 
			 Actual 2010 0.5 5 
			 Actual 2011 0.8 7 
			 Actual 2012 1.2 10 
			 Actual 2013 1.0 8 
			 Budget 2014 1.0 7 
			 Note: 1. The Church Commissioners operate with a January-December financial year. 2. The figures do not include Investment Management fees-such costs of investing are treated as a direct deduction from investment income.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adrian Beecroft

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department had meetings with Adrian Beecroft between May 2012 and June 2014.

Jo Swinson: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data
	Information for January to March 2014 will be published in due course.
	Information on any meetings between officials and Adrian Beecroft is not held centrally.

Brain: Research

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the work of the Human Brain project; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the UK's financial contribution to the Human Brain project is in addition to the contribution of the EU Commission.

David Willetts: The results of the initial phase of the Human Brain Project (HBP) will provide more detail on how it will address its objectives. The UK Research Councils, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) will hold discussions with UK researchers at that point to decide on any future involvement.
	The UK makes no current financial contribution to the HBP. However, the project includes the expertise of some key UK researchers and is making use of the hardware platform, SpiNNaker, which was previously developed with £2.7 million of support from the EPSRC.

Disabled Students’ Allowances

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 128W, on disabled students' allowances, 
	(1)  for what reason the fact that many disabled students receive more than one type of support makes it not possible to make an accurate estimate of the number of students who would qualify for disabled students' allowance under the proposed changes to that allowance;
	(2)  for what reason his Department did not make an estimate of the number of students who will no longer be eligible for disabled students' allowance before deciding to implement the proposed changes.

David Willetts: There is a range of support available under the four disabled students’ allowances (DSAs) (specialist equipment, non-medical help, travel, general). It is expected that students will in future receive a different balance of support between HEI reasonable adjustments and funding via DSAs. For example, some may receive all of their non-medical help support via their HEI rather than via DSAs, but still receive some DSA-funded support towards specialist equipment or travel costs.
	Data on all of the different types of support provided to individual students under DSAs are not readily available under current record keeping arrangements. The Equality Analysis will contain an estimate of the number of students who would not be eligible for any support under DSAs following any changes. I will have due regard to this Analysis before regulations are laid before the House.

Electrical Safety

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how his Department is supporting manufacturers to improve their performance on the recall of electrical appliances.

Jo Swinson: Manufactures and importers are responsible for taking corrective action, including recall, on products they have placed on the market which subsequently turn out to be defective. They have a duty to advise the relevant enforcement authority: either Trading Standards or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The enforcement authority provides assistance on the appropriate corrective action and can, if required, direct the specific course of action to be taken. This Department supports both Trading Standards and HSE in their duties. This Department also contributes to EU best practice guidance in this area and is working with interested parties to consider options for improving the effectiveness of product recalls.

Electrical Safety

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the guidance his Department issues on electrical appliance recalls to reflect the consequences of recent high-profile recall actions.

Jo Swinson: This Department contributes to the EU guidance for corrective action, including product recalls. This guidance provides best practice for any specific case where corrective action is required, including exceptional cases where a recall is justified. The guidance was last revised in 2011. BIS officials continue to work with interested parties, including other EU member states, trade associations, such as AMDEA, and others such as Electrical Safety First to consider options for improving the overall effectiveness of product recalls, including what, if any, additional guidance should be provided.

Employment Tribunals Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish the names of people who have taken multiple cases against different employers to an employment tribunal.

Jo Swinson: Government has no plans to change legislation to bring in a register of employees that take their employer to a tribunal, or of private settlements.
	Employment tribunals are independent judicial bodies and, in line with the principle of judicial independence, Government cannot comment on, or intervene in, the tribunal’s handling of individual cases or any decisions made.

Higher Education: Admissions

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people who had been in receipt of free school meals applied to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in 2010-11.

David Willetts: The information for Oxbridge is not held centrally.
	Figures published by UCAS in July 2013 show that, in 2010, the application rate of 18-year-olds in state schools in England who had received free school meals at age 15 was 13.2%, compared to 32.2% for those who had not received them. In 2013, the rates were 14.8% and 32.9% respectively. The application rate measures the percentage of 18-year-olds who apply to enter full-time undergraduate courses in the UK. UCAS is an organisation independent from Government.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Jo Swinson: The departmental security records for ICT equipment lost or stolen in 2013 and to date in 2014 are as follows:
	
		
			  Totals 
			 Lost/stolen 2013 2014 (to date) 
			 Laptops 4 15 
			 BlackBerrys 30 1 
			 Smartphones 0 7

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Jo Swinson: The Department has access to one car used by all seven of our Ministers. Each Minister’s office book the car when they believe it may be required by their Minister. No details are held of actual journeys made.

Money Lenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many investigations of illegal money lenders have been carried out by illegal lending units in England, Scotland and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many such investigations have resulted in criminal convictions.

Jo Swinson: Following is a breakdown of the number of investigations conducted and convictions obtained by the illegal money lending teams in Scotland and Wales in each of the last five years, and in England for the last three years.
	The England illegal money lending team was created in April 2011. Equivalent information is not available relating to the regional teams which existed prior to this.
	
		
			  Investigations Convictions 
			  England Scotland Wales England Scotland Wales 
			 2013/14 399 39 28 55 0 2 
			 2012/13 522 38 38 34 1 2 
			 2011/12 460 36 37 17 2 4 
			 2010/11 n/a 21 46 n/a 1 6 
			 2009/10 n/a 18 25 n/a 0 5 
		
	
	The illegal money lending teams conduct complex and sensitive investigations. The length of each investigation will be influenced by the circumstances of the specific case. In some instances convictions can only be delivered through months of proactive intelligence gathering and community engagement. Because of this, some cases span multiple years and so there is not necessarily a direct link between the numbers of investigations and the numbers of convictions in any one year.

Pay

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies.

Jo Swinson: BIS collects subscriptions through our payroll service from the following organisations:
	HMRC, C&E Sports, Pension PARL, PCS Union, Prospect, HASSRA Lottery, Benhealthcare, SimplyHealth,
	DSRA Lottery, Charities Aid Foundation, Birmingham Hos Saturday Fund, Welsh Hospitals, Charities Trust,
	Cash For Health, Westfield Health, CS Benevolent, British Health Care Ass, Scottish Ben Fund,
	CS Sports Council, Civil Service Club, Sun Life Assurance, National Friendly, HSA Individual,
	Sov Health Care, Healthshield, Healthsure Group, First Division Association, Leeds Hospital Fund,
	Hospital Saturday Fund, AVC EQLIFE DB, Minerva SSA (DTI Sports), Merseyside Health, AVC Equitable Life,
	Pension Standard Life, Pension TUC PRU, AVC Scottish Widows, Pension Scottish Widow,
	UK CS Benefit Society, AVC StandLife, DESO Ret Officer Ass.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department’s Executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the right hon. Member directly.
	Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 9 July 2014
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 July 2014 asking the Secretary of State for Business. Innovation and Skills, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies. (204494)
	The National Measurement Office payroll service collects subscriptions from the following organisations:
	CSSC Sports and Leisure
	Benenden health
	Simptyhealth
	Prospect
	Public and Commercial Services (PCS).
	This does not include staff giving to charitable organisations.
	Letter from Neil Ackroyd, dated 10 July 2014
	As Acting Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies.
	Ordnance Survey currently has a number of third party organisations which take direct deductions from employees’ pay. These organisations are as follows:
	Civil Service:
	a. Sports Council
	b. Benevolent Fund
	Give As You Earn charitable donations:
	a. For any number of specific charities
	Health and Insurance providers:
	a. HSA
	b. Sun Life
	c. BSHF
	d. PO Assurance
	e. Benenden Health Care
	f. Forester Physiotherapy
	g. HSF (Hospital Saturday Fund)
	Union Subscriptions:
	a. Prospect
	b. PCS
	Others:
	a. Student Loans
	b. Cycle to Work scheme (Edenred)
	c. Childcare Vouchers (Edenred)
	d. Court Orders (CSA/Council Tax)
	Should you have any further questions, please let me know.
	I hope this information is helpful.
	Letter from Richard Judge, dated July 2014
	The Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies. My response relates to the Insolvency Service, an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The following organisations collect subscriptions through our payroll service:
	Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund; Civil Service Benevolent Fund; Civil Service Club; Civil Service Sports Council; Benenden Healthcare; British Healthcare Association; DTI Sports and Social; Prospect; PCS; Simply Health; Westfield Contribution Health Scheme; Charities Trust; Charities Aid Foundation; Forester Health; Leeds Hospital Fund; and Mercia Health Benefits.
	Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 10 July 2014
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 8 July 2014, UIN 204494 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Companies House collects membership fees for PCS Union and the Civil Service Sports Council through the employers’ payroll service.
	Letter from David Parker, dated 10 July 2014
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills asking which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies.
	Within the UK Space Agency the following organisations collect subscriptions through our employee’s payroll via our shared service provider, UKSBS:
	CS Benevolent Fund
	CS Sports Council
	Harwell Rec Society
	Union Membership fees (PCS and Prospect)
	Sports SC Swindon
	Childcare Plus (via salary sacrifice)
	Professional subscriptions are processed either via the UK SBS procurement framework or via personal expense claims and/or usage of a Government Procurement Card.
	Letter from Ed Lester, dated 10 July 2014
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 204494 tabled on 8 July 2014 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies?
	I can confirm that Land Registry does collect subscriptions through our payroll for such things as union subscriptions, membership of the Civil Service Sports Council and personal health care organisations.
	I hope that you find this information useful.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 10 July 2014
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 10th July 2014, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies. (204494).
	The Intellectual Property Office is an executive agency of BIS. Organisations collecting subscriptions through payroll are as follows:
	Benenden Healthcare
	Civil Service Benevolent Fund
	Civil Service Sports Council
	Central Statistics Office Sports and Social
	Forester Health Care
	Give As You Earn
	Gwent Hospital
	PCS Union
	Welsh Hospital
	Prospect
	Simply Health
	Minerva SSA (DTI Sports and Social)
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 10 July 2014
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 July 2014, UIN 204494 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The following organisations collect subscriptions through the Met Office payroll service: Civil Service Sports Council, The Charity for Civil Servants, Civil Service Club, Prospect, Public & Commercial Services Union, Charitable Giving, Chartis Insurance UK Ltd, Benenden Health, The Hospital Saturday Fund, Simplyhealth, Westfield Health.
	These arrangements have been in place for a number of years. The Met Office has no plans to collect subscriptions for staff through payroll for any additional organisations.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 15 July 2014
	As interim Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies.
	The Skills Funding Agency currently has a number of third party organisations which take direct deductions from employees’ pay. These organisations are as follows:
	Civil Service:
	a. Sports Council
	b. Benevolent Fund
	Give As You Earn charitable donations:
	a. Workplace Giving
	Health and Insurance providers:
	a. Westfield Health
	b. Health Shields
	c. BSHF
	d. Health Screening (BUPA)
	e. DenPlan
	f. Critical Illness (Unum)
	g. Worldwide Travel
	h. P&MM Discounted vouchers
	i. Gym Flex
	j. Gourmet Society
	Union Subscriptions:
	a. PCS
	Others:
	a. Student Loans
	b. Cycle to Work scheme (Cycle Solutions)
	c. Childcare Vouchers (Edenred)
	d. Court Orders (CSA/Council Tax)
	Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Pay

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received.

Jo Swinson: To provide this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much and what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Jo Swinson: A comprehensive answer cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost as the Department does not maintain a single register of all contracted out services. However, the Department does routinely publish details of the ‘Outsourced Programme Managed Services’ in its annual resource accounts. These are contracts the Department has placed to manage the delivery of programmes and work to support the Department’s objectives.
	The figures over the financial years in question along with the total programme expenditure for the core Department are as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year Outsourced service costs Total programme expenditure 
			 2013/14 23.0 23,566 
			 2012/13 34.9 21,077 
			 2011/12 10.2 22,373 
			 2010/11 29.9 25,734 
			 2009/10 69.2 24,610 
			 Note: The total programme expenditure reflects non-administration costs, including payment of grant-in-aid, grants and other disbursements in support of policy initiatives.

Vetting: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the practice of blacklisting in public sector procurement contracts.

Jo Swinson: BIS Ministers have not had any discussions with Scottish Ministers on the practice of blacklisting in public sector procurement contracts. However, the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs at the time, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff Central (Jenny Willott), did write to Ian Davidson, Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, earlier in the year commenting on their second interim report 'Blacklisting in Employment: addressing the crimes of the past'.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Marriage

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what the fee will be to convert civil partnerships to marriage; and on what basis that fee was calculated.

Helen Grant: The proposed fees for converting a civil partnership to marriage have been calculated on a full cost recovery basis. Where comparable processes exist for marriage and civil partnership, for example, for housebound and detained persons, these have been mirrored in the calculations for the conversion fees. Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary legislation, the fee to convert a civil partnership to a marriage will be:
	£45-standard procedure at a register office
	£99-at the residence of a housebound person
	£117-at the place of detention of a detained person
	£15-special procedure where a person is seriously ill and not expected to recover.
	There will be separate fees for conversions conducted in consulates overseas which have yet to be confirmed.
	The Government recognises that some couples may not have entered into their civil partnership if marriage had been available to same sex couples at that time. Therefore the Secretary of State for the Home Department has agreed to waive the fee for one year from 10 December 2014 for any couple who formed their civil partnership prior to 29 March 2014.

Marriage

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities when the Government will issue guidance to local authorities on the procedure for converting civil partnerships to marriage.

Helen Grant: The provision of guidance to local authorities on registration matters is the responsibility of the General Register Office for England and Wales, part of Her Majesty's Passport Office. Guidance on the conversion process has already been issued.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many journeys Ministers of her Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Theresa Villiers: This information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much and what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of her Department's budget she expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Theresa Villiers: My Department does not hold specific accounting information on activities which were contracted out, and to determine this information would incur disproportionate cost.

JUSTICE

Confiscation Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what value of outstanding confiscation orders were written off in each year since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: The value of confiscation orders reduced or written off from 2010 to 31 May 2014 is recorded in the following table.
	
		
			 Value of confiscation orders written off 
			 £ 
			 Category 2010 2011 2012 2013 20141 Total 
			 DTOA Default Served 47,101 882,064 1,162,397 22,082 0 2,113,644 
			 Inadequacy 5,707,742 8,924,637 3,673,845 11,815,275 8,686,466 38,807,965 
			 POCA s24 Discharge 70,030 780,328 335,969 483,443 167,282 1,837,052 
			 POCA s25 Discharge 1,479 980 797 1,179 105 4,540 
			 Reconsideration of Available Assets 8,019,707 21,235,494 16,739,659 20,158,107 5,654,534 71,807,501 
			 Grand total 13,846,059 31,823,503 21,912,667 32,480,086 14,508,387 114,570,702 
			 1 To 31 May 2014. 
		
	
	Crime has fallen since 2010 and tough sentences are used to punish criminals. Confiscation orders provide a key addition to punishment, and are one of the key mechanisms available to Government to ensure that criminals are deprived of the proceeds of their crimes. Confiscation orders help to disrupt and deter criminality, and reassure the public that crime does not pay.
	All debts owed through confiscation orders are rigorously pursued by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other enforcement agencies. This has led to the amount defendants repaid from their criminal activity reaching an all time high of £137.2 million in 2013-14, an increase of 39% since 2008-09.
	Orders can be reduced or written off in certain limited circumstances—for example when in individual circumstances the remaining debt is so small it is not cost effective to collect it or when it is proven that the offender does not have the assets amounting to the order value, we are required to do so by law or, if the Order was made under the Drug Trafficking Act 1994, when the offender has served their full default sentence.
	HMCTS is seeking a commercial partner to help increase collections, reduce enforcement costs and, crucially, ensure more criminals pay.
	The Serious Crime Bill, currently being debated in Parliament, includes provisions to further improve the current confiscation system including the enforcement of confiscation orders.
	The continuing improvement the Agencies are making combined with our future plans will make sure that more criminals pay, further disrupt criminality, reassure the public that crime does not pay, and help ensure that taxpayers get better value for money,

Courts: Construction

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a detailed list of construction projects in courts that have been cancelled since May 2010, including contract details and costs and indicating in each case whether the court was subsequently closed.

Shailesh Vara: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has rigorous appraisal processes in place to ensure that any future estate projects offer value for taxpayers' money and deliver significant improvements to court and tribunal users.
	Construction projects in courts that have been cancelled since May 2010 are detailed in the table. With regards to this information, the following should be noted.
	The figures relate to sites acquired before the spending review 2010.
	Following reviews of anticipated workloads, costs and future benefits, decisions were taken not to proceed with the following construction projects in their planned format as they did not offer taxpayers value for money. No construction costs were incurred and no formal decisions to dispose or develop the sites in a different form have been taken yet.
	None of the courts where the construction projects were cancelled have subsequently closed. For reasons of commercial confidentiality we are unable to provide the contract details.
	
		
			 Court Project Description Cost (£ million) 
			 Aylesbury Crown Court The provision of a new four courtroom Crown court to replace poor existing accommodation and lack of capacity 2.7 
			 Aylesbury Crown Court Securing lease on a land site for a court construction project 4.4 
			 Birmingham Magistrates Court New 24 courtroom Magistrates court 11.5 
			 Birmingham Magistrates Court Securing lease on a land site for a court construction project 17.9 
			 West Bromwich Magistrates Court New Magistrates Courthouse comprising 10 courtrooms 1.7 
			 Wolverhampton Magistrates Court New Magistrates and County courthouse comprising 8 Magistrates and Youth Courts, 3 Family Court, 3 Civil Courts and 7 Hearing Rooms 2 
			 Bradford Magistrates’ Court The relocation of the existing Bradford Magistrates Court project as part of the Bradford City Regeneration Scheme funded by Bradford Regeneration at minimal cost to the MOJ1 0.5 
			 Gloucester Justice Centre New Criminal Court Centre with 3 Crown Courts and 5 Magistrates Courts 0.6 
			 Snaresbrook Crown Court Provision of 8 new Crown courtrooms at existing Snaresbrook Crown Court 1.9 
			 Sunderland Magistrates Court New Crown Court (4 courtrooms), Magistrates (8 courtrooms), County Courts (3 courtrooms and 3 District Judge hearing rooms) and 2 Tribunal Hearing Rooms 2.6 
			 1 The Bradford Court project is relocating the existing court and is being funded by Bradford Regeneration and the local authority. The project has not been deferred by the MOJ but is on hold until Bradford Regeneration and the local authority can secure further funding from the Government.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prison officer entry level training places NOMS are planning to fill in each of the next 12 months; and what the start date is for each individual course;
	(2)  what the start date is for each currently planned prison officer entry level training course; how many places are available on each course; and where each course will be held.

Jeremy Wright: Prison officer entry level training (POELT) is scheduled to take place at the following centres beginning on the dates shown with the number of places available at each:
	Newbold Revel (Warwickshire)
	30 June 2014—40 places
	21 July 2014—40 places
	11 August 2014—80 places
	22 September 2014—80 places
	3 November 2014—80 places
	12 January 2015—80 places
	Stirling House (Suffolk)
	21 July 2014—30 places
	1 September 2014—30 places
	13 October 2014—30 places
	12 January 2015—30 places
	Wandsworth (London)
	7 July 2014—33 places
	18 August 2014—33 places
	29 September 2014—33 places
	10 November 2014—33 places
	12 January 2015—33 places
	Feltham (London)
	21 July 2014—20 places
	1 September 2014—20 places
	13 October 2014—20 places
	12 January 2015—20 places
	Grendon (Buckinghamshire)
	7 July 2014—20 places
	18 August 2014—20 places
	29 September 2014—20 places
	10 November 2014—20 places
	12 January 2015—20 places
	The total number of POELT places currently planned is 825. This is in addition to courses that are currently ongoing.
	The planning and scheduling of POELT courses is kept under regular review and courses may be cancelled or rescheduled as necessary.
	The entry level course for prison officer takes six weeks to complete with further training and assessment taking place during the first probationary year. The initial course will be extended to 10 weeks with effect from 1 January 2015.

Prison Service

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of (a) staff morale, (b) sickness rates, (c) turnover and (d) training in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Management of the NOMS Agency reports to Ministers on these issues on a regular basis.
	(a) Staff morale: Staff attitudes are measured in the annual Civil Service staff engagement survey, the most recent of which was run in October 2013. Action plans to improve engagement and morale are produced by every prison and headquarters group. The Highlight Report from the survey conducted in NOMS can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-people-survey-results-2013
	Information on staff engagement in contracted out prisons is not available.
	(b) Staff sickness rates: Reducing levels of sickness in a sustainable way is a high priority for NOMS and the agency is working through an improvement plan. Actions include improvements to policy, targeted management interventions and support for staff.
	Sickness rates in adult prisons have fallen over the last 10 years and remain below the rate of 14.8 days lost, across public sector adult prisons, in 2002-03.
	Figures on staff sickness absence in contracted out prisons can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225231/prs-data-12-13.xls
	(c) Staff turnover: Leaver numbers, other than through voluntary early departure schemes (VEDS), expressed as a proportion of average staff in post, have remained consistent and sustainable over the past five years.
	Information on staff turnover in contracted out prisons is not available.
	(d) Staff training: The Ministry provides training and education for all civil servants in line with the commitment set out in the Civil Service Reform Plan:
	“to provide at least five days a year targeted at the skills most needed for their roles.”
	In light of the anticipated demand for detached duty staff over the summer months, some non-critical operational training has recently been curtailed to ensure that staff are used where they are most needed. This position is being reviewed on a regular basis.

Prisoners' Transfers

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have been transferred to open conditions following a decision made only by the Ministry of Justice Public Protection Unit in each of the last four years;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been transferred to open conditions without advice being sought or provided by the parole board in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: There are two means by which indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs-both those serving life and indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs))-are considered for transfer to open conditions.
	The principal means is by way of a positive recommendation from the independent Parole Board, which falls to officials either to accept or reject on behalf of the Secretary of State, under agreed delegated authority and in accordance with policy agreed by the Secretary of State. However, ISPs may also apply to progress to open conditions without a positive recommendation from the Parole Board being sought, where they can show exceptional progress in reducing their risk. Each application is determined on its merits under agreed delegated authority by officials in the Offender Management and Public Protection Group in the Ministry of Justice. The criteria for progression in these circumstances are as follows:
	the prisoner's parole dossier must contain evidence that the prisoner has made significant progress in addressing all risk factors; and
	there must be a consensus among report writers that the prisoner is suitable and safe to be transferred to open conditions; and
	there must be no areas of concern identified by report writers which would clearly benefit from further exploration by an oral hearing of the Parole Board; and
	the prisoner must demonstrate in his/her representations that there are clear benefits to being transferred to open conditions immediately rather than following the established process.
	The data for the last four years are as follows:
	
		
			  Indeterminate Sentence prisoners transferred to open conditions following a decision made by the Offender Management and Public Protection Group on behalf of the Secretary of State 
			 2010 20 
			 2011 103 
			 2012 75 
			 2013 32 
			 Total 230 
		
	
	In 2013, 20% of prisoners who applied for a transfer through this route were granted a move to open conditions.
	These data are taken from an administrative casework system.
	We do not centrally hold data on the total number of prisoners transferred from closed to open prisons for the time period requested. Where this is available, the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as it would involve interrogating the movement records of every determinate sentenced prisoner who has transferred to an open establishment since 2010.
	Decisions to transfer determinate sentence prisoners to open conditions are taken by population managers within the National Offender Management Service. Only prisoners who have been thoroughly risk assessed and categorised as suitable for open conditions will be considered for transfer to open prisons. Decisions on re-categorising prisoners as suitable for open conditions are taken by experienced prison staff with input from offender managers, healthcare and other professional staff using recent information about the prisoner including behaviour while in closed conditions, security and intelligence information and any other risk information that might demonstrate the prisoner’s proven trustworthiness. The cases of determinate sentence prisoners are not referred to the Parole Board for advice and decisions are not taken by Ministers.
	Determinate sentence prisoners should not generally be moved to open prison if they have more than two years to serve to their earliest release date, unless assessment of a prisoner’s individual risks and needs support earlier categorisation to open conditions. Such cases must have the reasons for their categorisation fully documented and confirmed in writing by the governing governor.
	The public have understandable concerns about the failure of some prisoners to return from temporary release from open prison. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of temporary release failures remains very low; less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and about five in every 100,000 releases involving alleged offending, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government has already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or reoffended while released on temporary licence.

Prisons: Discipline

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the disciplinary punishment of additional days was imposed on prisoners in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The punishment of additional days arises from adjudication outcomes. Data on adjudications count the number of offences punished and the number of punishments given, rather than the number of prisoners charged with those offences.
	The following table gives details of the total number of offences punished, the total number of punishments given, and the number of punishments for which additional days were given, each year from 2004 to 2013 (latest available).
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Number of offences punished, number of punishments, and number of additional days given as punishment to prisoners, annually 2004 to 2013, England and Wales1,2,3 
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Number of offences punished 108,389 110,651 105,958 109117 111,833 104,745 90,966 92,328 86,500 85,532 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of punishments: 185,494 189,404 178,807 184,486 190,192 182,053 173,707 170,945 158,869 156,892 
			 of which           
			 additional days given 9,454 12,040 12,566 13,460 12,792 11,550 9,006 8,488 8,395 9,046 
			 1 This relates to all proven adjudications and includes suspended and prospective punishments. 2 In May 2009, the National Offender Management Service began the roll-out of a new case management system for prisons (Prison-NOMIS). During the phased roll-out, data collection issues emerged that affected the supply of data for statistical purposes from July 2009 to February 2010. Therefore 2009 figures have been estimated using data from January to June 2009: See statistical notice published on 22 July 2010 at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/218063/omcs-stats-notice.pdf 3 The number of offences punished and punishments given are not equal because in many cases two or more punishments are given for a single offence. Sources:These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Secure Colleges

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether secure colleges will contain segregation units.

Jeremy Wright: We have not instructed Wates, the preferred bidder for the design and build of the pathfinder Secure College, to include a segregation unit in the designs.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of individual sentencing guidelines do not include the maximum sentence available to the court in the most serious offence range of the offence.

Shailesh Vara: Sentencing guidelines are intended to ensure consistent and proportionate sentencing. The suggested range of sentencing in individual guidelines is intended to reflect current sentencing practice for the majority of offences of a particular type. Where there is a high statutory maximum, the range may not include the statutory maximum, as this was intended by Parliament to cover the worst possible case of the particular offence which is likely to fall outside the guidelines.
	Each guideline has on the front page the statutory maximum for the offence in question.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer from Kevin Sadler to question 147 from the Work and Pensions Committee on 7 May 2014, 
	(1)  what the predicted cost was of (a) employment and support allowance appeals, (b) such appeals borne by the Department for Work and Pensions and (c) such appeals borne by HM Treasury in the financial year 2009-10;
	(2)  what the cost is of (a) employment and support allowance appeals, (b) such appeals borne by the Department for Work and Pensions and (c) such appeals borne by HM Treasury in each year since 2008-09.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits, including Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
	(1) (a) In 2008 the DWP estimated that there would be an extra 21,000 appeals annually as a result of the introduction of ESA. An extra £4 million funding from DWP was initially agreed to cover these costs in the period 2009-10. HMCTS does not hold the information on other funding sources for ESA alone.
	(2) The following table shows the estimated cost of ESA appeals to HMCTS in each year since 2008-09 until 2012-13 (the latest period for which data has been published). The estimated costs were calculated by multiplying the average cost of an individual SSCS tribunal case in that year by the number of ESA appeals disposed of during the year. The Tribunal receives funding from the Ministry of Justice through HMCTS, the DWP and the National Insurance Fund from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, as set out in the table below. However, the figures are for funding for the SSCS Tribunal overall as it is not possible to separate specific funding for each benefit type.
	
		
			 Appeal costs and funding 
			 £ million 
			  Estimated total ESA cost Overall funding from DWP Overall Funding from HMRC (through the national insurance fund) Overall funding from HMCTS 
			 2008-09 10.03 1 24 43 
			 2009-10 21 9 42 31 
			 2010-11* 42 21 42 28 
			 2011-12 47 26 43 30 
			 2012-13 66 29 41 45 
			 * Tribunals Service until April 2011. 1 Figures have been rounded to the nearest million except where numbers are lower than £0.1 million, where the number to the nearest £10,000 has been quoted.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate the Government has made of the number of victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain where such victims and survivors live in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research the Government has commissioned on the educational, psychological, welfare, justice and related needs of victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes: I can confirm that the Government has not commissioned specific research into victims and survivors of Northern Ireland-related acts of terrorism who reside in Great Britain. In 2012 the Ministry of Justice commissioned and published an Evidence and Practice Review which looked in depth at the needs of victims in England and Wales. This has informed both the commissioning approach to national services for victims such as the Homicide Service and the development of an outcomes-based commissioning framework to be drawn upon by Police and Crime Commissioners when commissioning local services for victims.
	The Government recognises that victims of the most serious crimes should receive enhanced entitlements to support from the criminal justice organisations in England and Wales, and this is set out in the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime published in October 2013.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Beavers: Devon

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 330W, on beavers: Devon, 
	(1)  for what reasons he plans to recapture and rehome the wild beavers in Devon; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what other options have been discussed by his Department, Natural England and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency apart from recapturing and rehoming the population of wild beavers in Devon.

George Eustice: Beavers have not been an established part of our wildlife for the last 500 years. Before allowing them to be reintroduced into any location, their impact on a landscape that has changed considerably since they were last present should be assessed. Additionally the UK is currently free from the zoonotic disease Echinocussus multilocularis, a disease which some beavers are believed to host. To be sure that the country’s disease free status is not compromised it is necessary to capture and test the animals. However, all decisions will be made with the welfare of the beavers in mind. There are no plans to kill the animals and a site suitable for the animals to be re-homed at is being actively sought.

Biofuels

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the future prospects for farmlands and the pressures posed by a growing population and increased use of energy crops.

George Eustice: Crops can be a useful source of energy but we need to balance the need for new forms of energy with the need to grow crops for food, and we are working with other Government Departments to make sure we get this balance right. The Government’s bioenergy strategy makes clear that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture and bioenergy must not undermine food security in the UK or internationally.
	DEFRA is commissioning a collaborative project with the Energy Technology Institute to examine data from 32 existing bioenergy production businesses in England and Wales on food production and environmental sustainability. The project will deliver a set of indicators to help identify the types of bioenergy that can complement food production and those that present risk. Where there is risk to food production the project will consider mitigation measures and issues will be drawn out through case studies.
	In 2011 DEFRA and the Department for International Development co-sponsored the Government Office for Science’s Foresight report which explores the increasing pressures on the global food system between now and 2050 and asks how a future global population of nine billion people can all be fed healthily and sustainably. The Report highlights the decisions that policy makers need to take today, and in the years ahead, to ensure that a global population can be fed sustainably and equitably. DEFRA has embedded the importance of food security across the Department’s policies, recognising the many areas of policy that impact on food security outcomes, and we continue to invest significantly in research in this area.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding will be allocated to the Lune Valley in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency as part of the recently announced badger vaccination project.

George Eustice: In April 2013, as part of the Government's Strategy for achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free Status for England, the Secretary of State announced new support for privately led vaccination initiatives in the Edge Area. Building on ongoing work with stakeholders, including a workshop held on 24 June, a new scheme will be launched shortly and will offer financial and other support, such as training and advice. This will be a grant scheme and as such prospective vaccination projects will need to apply for funding and support. The level of funding and support offered will be dependent on the extent to which successful projects meet the criteria that will be announced as part of the scheme.

Countryside: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the inclusion of Upper Lune Valley in the (a) Cumbrian National Park and (b) Trough of Bowland area of outstanding natural beauty.

George Eustice: Designation of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty is a matter for Natural England. In 2012 Natural England made Variation Orders to extend the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks. The proposed extensions to the Yorkshire Dales national park include parts of the Lune Valley. The Orders were subject to a public inquiry in 2013 and the Secretary of State is now considering the Inspector's report.

Fisheries

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support the fishing industry.

George Eustice: The Government’s objective for fisheries is to have healthy fish stocks, a prosperous fishing industry and a healthy marine environment. The fundamental reform of the common fisheries policy that the UK worked so hard to achieve has an important role in ensuring this, and the Government will continue to make financial support available under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to help the sector achieve these objectives.
	Regionalisation provides a process to work with other member states and the industry to making fisheries management decisions closer to the fishery and those affected. This is an important step away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to fisheries management. Legally binding requirements to set fishing rates at sustainable levels ensure an end to the overfishing we have seen in the past. The landing obligation will see an end to the wasteful practice of discards and improvements in avoiding unwanted catches in the first place.
	All of this will improve fish stocks, allowing greater catches to be taken and thereby providing a more economically and environmentally sustainable future for the fishing industry.

Fishing Gear

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which organisations, groups and industry bodies his Department has met since 2010 to discuss lost commercial fishing gear and its effect on UK waters and marine animals;
	(2)  whether his Department is working with the fishing industry to ensure lost commercial fishing gear is reported to relevant authorities in line with requirements under (a) the Common Fisheries Policy and (b) other international agreements;
	(3)  what steps the Government is taking to quantify and mitigate the effects of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear in UK and international waters.

George Eustice: Provisions concerning the retrieval and reporting of lost fishing gear are contained in the EU Fisheries Control Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No.1224/2009). DEFRA has not held meetings specifically to discuss lost fishing gear. However, officials frequently discuss this regulation with the fishing industry and other interested parties. Masters of all EU fishing vessels are required to report any lost fishing gear to the vessel's flag state. This requirement was notified to all licence holders when the current control regulation was introduced, and the Marine Management Organisation plans to issue additional guidance that will remind vessel masters of their responsibilities in this respect on the www.gov.uk website in the near future.
	As part of DEFRA's work in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), we actively participate in discussions relating to understanding the extent and impact of entanglement of cetaceans in lost fishing gear.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the financial effect on hill farmers of recent changes to the CAP which takes into account the abolition of the Uplands Entry Level Stewardship and the increase in the moorlands rate and the severely disadvantaged area rate.

George Eustice: We published an analysis of the financial impact of changes to the CAP on pillar 1 in chapter 7 of the Government’s initial response to the CAP Reform consultation
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/common-agricultural-policy-reform-implementation-in-england
	In their replies to the consultation some stakeholders expressed concern about the scale of the uplift merited in the moorland. We therefore undertook a further analysis and discussed the data with farming and environmental stakeholders before reaching a final decision on the appropriate rate for the moorland region.
	We estimate 2015 farm business income for grazing livestock farms in the uplands to be broadly unchanged from current levels in real terms. This takes into account the changes to pillar 1 including payment rates, greening, reductions in direct payments over €150,000 and the end of new Uplands Entry Level Stewardship agreements. The analysis does not take into account any changes in land rent prices or changes in farm structure or behaviour.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The Department is unable to provide information at this level of detail. However, the tables on pages 72 and 73 of DEFRA’s Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, at the following link, set out analyses of the Department’s spending by country and region within the UK, and by function. Notes providing context to the tables appear on page 71.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/328401/defra-year-end-accounts-2013-14.pdf

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

Dan Rogerson: This information is not held by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Training

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many awaydays his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event.

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA officials generally use facilities within the government estate where possible, for “awayday” events. Records of the use of external venues are not held centrally and collecting such information would incur disproportionate cost.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Assets

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to promote community rights under the Localism Act 2011.

Stephen Williams: This Government wants to put communities in control; giving people more power to make decisions about their local area. The community rights are promoted through local, national and consumer press, broadcast media (TV and radio), ministerial visits, conferences, workshops and social media.
	Over 1,200 assets of community value have been listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. More than 900 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 21 plans which have reached referendum so far have passed with significant majorities in favour. Our network of 50 neighbourhood planning champions host awareness raising events and provide informal local advice based upon their experiences to promote and support neighbourhood planning.
	In March we ran two ‘Information Exchange’ events focused on the community rights for local councillors in Essex and Buckinghamshire and will be offering these out across the country. We are also running a series of workshops for local authorities focused on the Community Right to Bid and Asset Transfer.
	But the rights form just one part of the wider package of policies which drive our ‘communities in control’ agenda.
	We are supporting 21 local campaigns for new parish councils covering local populations of more than half a million people. Over 100 new Our Place areas are starting work within their communities to transform neighbourhood level service delivery. Community share issues have raised over £24 million for community ventures.
	Over £60 million has been made available, across a number of different programmes, to help communities take more control of their areas. This encompasses grants, advice and professional expertise to use the community rights, setting up an Our Place area, campaigning for a new parish, supporting community pubs, promoting the use of community shares and empowering tenants to ensure their landlord provides the services they want.
	
		
			 Funding programme Total programme funding (£ million) Funding period Notes 
			 Community Ownership and Management of Assets 19 2012-15 £17.5 million direct grant to communities 
			 Community Right to Challenge 8.5 2012-15 £7.5 million direct grant to communities 
			 Community Right to Build 14.7 2011-15 £14 million direct grant to communities 
			 Neighbourhood Planning 10.8 March 2013 to September 2015 Includes grant, direct support and shared learning 
			 Our Place 4.7 2013-14 Support contract to deliver over 100 new OP areas, plus £500,000 to develop 12 existing pioneers 
			 Supporting new parish campaigns 0.9 2013-15 £0.9 million grants to groups and community associations 
			 Community Shares 0.64 2011-15 £0.64 million grant to Community Shares Unit 
			 Community Pubs 0.2 2013-15 £170,000 for Pub is the Hub diversification projects. £30,000 for Plunkett Foundation co-operative pubs helpline 
			 Tenant Involvement 4 2013-15 £2 million a year grant funding to National Tenant Organisations and direct to local projects to enable social tenants to take up their rights and opportunities to engage 
			 Total funding 63.4

Council Tax

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the threshold for council tax increases needed to trigger a local referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The council tax referendum principles are proposed annually by the Government and subject to the approval of the House of Commons. We are open to representations on the principles for 2015-16 and how local residents can continue to be protected from unwanted council tax rises.
	A further council tax freeze offer is available for local authorities in 2015-16, and we would encourage all local authorities, including Brighton and Hove, to take up that opportunity.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist local authorities in acquiring necessary skills, partnerships and capacity to utilise the increased borrowing allowed against the Housing Revenue Account.

Kris Hopkins: The coalition Government has reformed the outdated council housing finance system with the introduction of self-financing in 2012. This has given the 167 stock-holding local authorities a stable source of funding with which to make long-term business plans, including the provision of new affordable homes.
	This Government has also made available £300 million of extra Housing Revenue Account borrowing to help stock-holding local authorities build new affordable homes. The first allocations of £60 million across 15 local authorities was announced on 7 July alongside a second round of bidding to ensure councils make full use of this opportunity.
	Each scheme was assessed individually against a range of criteria including value for money and deliverability as well as the track record of the local authority to ensure they had the technical capacity to deliver the schemes or with a partner organisation. We have also encouraged councils to work closely with their local enterprise partnership in support of local growth strategies, to increase the supply of housing locally.
	House building is a key part of this Government's long-term economic plan; council house building starts are now at a 23-year high and more council housing has been built since 2010 than in the previous 13 years.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which instances the Planning Inspectorate has (a) removed and (b) amended to weaken (i) the code for sustainable homes and (ii) BREEAM standards from a development plan document prepared by a local planning authority since 13 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: There has been one instance, in relation to draft Bath and North East Somerset Core Strategy.
	The written ministerial statement of 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 32WS, sets out the Government's clear policy to rationalise and simplify the many overlapping and confusing housing standards currently in operation. This will enable quality and sustainable housing developments to be brought forward more easily but without compromising essential safety and accessibility protections. The outcome of the review means that many of the requirements of the Code for Sustainable Homes will be consolidated into building regulations, which would require substantial changes to the content of the current code, as well as a reconsideration of its role. In the light of this, the Government thinks that the current code will need to be wound down to coincide with the changes incorporating the new standards coming into force. The Government will make further announcements soon on the transitional arrangements, and the handling of legacy developments being built out to current code requirements.
	For a Local Plan to be “sound” it must be consistent with national policy. In this context, Bath and North East Somerset’s proposals to place the Code for Sustainable Homes into planning policy was contrary to the direction of the new national policy of consolidating these standards into the building regulation regime.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Brandon Lewis: Details of ministerial overseas travel and meetings with external organisations are routinely published every quarter and can be accessed on the Department’s web page via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what (a) financial, (b) staffing and (c) capacity-building support and assistance his Department has given to Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in respect of (i) activities relating to Operation Crackdown and (ii) all other activities in each year since its inception;
	(2)  what metrics his Department applies to assess the performance of Sussex Safer Roads Partnership's contribution to Operation Crackdown;
	(3)  if he will publish his assessment of the effectiveness of the protocols governing Sussex Safer Roads Partnership's contribution to Operation Crackdown.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has no involvement with Operation Crackdown.

CABINET OFFICE

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.;
	(2)  how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Office in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date;
	(3)  how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by No. 10 Downing Street in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas) on 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 741W. As was the case under the previous Administration, there are occasional incidents where equipment is reported lost or stolen. Staff are required to report such incidents, and cases are investigated. Laptops which will hold sensitive equipment are encrypted and mobile phones disabled as soon as an incident is reported.
	It is not possible to make a like-for-like comparison for the period covered by this question because there has been a substantial increase in the number of mobile phones and laptops issued to staff and the Department has been affected by various machinery of government changes.
	Details of items for the Cabinet Office are as follows:
	
		
			 Items 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Computers/laptops 1 9 15 
			 Mobile phones/BlackBerrys 5 28 59 
			 Other IT equipment 0 2 10 
		
	
	2014 numbers will be finalised in due course.

Immigration: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many international migrants have entered Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton dated July 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international migrants have entered Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [205017].
	ONS has published estimates of international immigration to Northern Ireland from 2008 to 2012. The estimates are shown in Table 1. Please note that estimates for immigration to Northern Ireland for years prior to 2008 are not published as methodological changes introduced in 2008 means that they are not comparable with later estimates.
	
		
			 Table 1: Long-term international immigration estimates for Northern Ireland, 2008 to 2012 
			  Estimate 
			 2008 18,000 
			 2009 12,000 
			 2010 12,000 
			 2011 11,000 
			 2012 12,000 
			 Source: ONS http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/long-term-international-migration/2012/2-06.xls 
		
	
	Estimates for 2013 will be available on 27 November 2014.
	These statistics are based on the United Nations definition of a long-term international migrant, that is, someone who changes their country of usual residence for a period of at least one year. They refer to long-term migrants who arrive in Northern Ireland from outside the UK.
	For more information please see our Long-Term International Migration (LTIM) methodology document:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/population-and-migration/international-migration-methodology/long-term-international-migration-estimates-methodology.pdf
	The Northern Ireland Statistics and Regional Agency (NISRA) also publishes immigration estimates for Northern Ireland which include immigrants from Great Britain as well as the rest of the world:
	http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/population/migration/Migration_(1871_to_2013).xls

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Francis Maude: As was the case under the previous Administration the Ministerial Car Pool is used for official purposes. The detailed information requested is not maintained.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts (a) let since 2010 and (b) about to be let by his Department and its agencies are worth (i) between £1 million and £3 million and (ii) over £3 million; how much has been spent on monitoring each contract let by his Department since 2010; and how many officials in his Department monitor each contract let since 2010.

Francis Maude: Information relating to the expenditure and the number of officials involved in monitoring contracts is not held centrally.
	Contracts and frameworks above the value of £10,000 awarded by the Cabinet Office and the Crown Commercial Service are published on the Contracts Finder website:
	www.gov.uk/contracts-finder.

Self-Employed

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which construction occupations will be classified as prescribed for the purposes of the general duties of self-employed persons in the Deregulation Bill.

Oliver Letwin: The prescribed list will cover undertakings rather than specific sectors or occupations. An undertaking will be prescribed if one of the following four criteria is met:
	1. There are high numbers of self-employed in a particular industry, and high rates of injuries and/or fatalities (e.g. agriculture);
	2. There is a significant risk to members of the public (e.g. fairgrounds);
	3. There is the potential for mass fatalities (e.g. explosives); or
	4. There is a European obligation to retain the general duty on self-employed persons (e.g. construction--Council Directive 92/57/EEC imposes duties on the self-employed for safety and health requirements at temporary or mobile construction sites).
	A consultation on the regulations can be found at:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd273.htm
	The definition of construction activities, to which the self employed will continue to have duties, can be found in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

Social Enterprises: EU Action

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how (a) the UK Government and (b) Northern Ireland is represented on the EU Consultative Multi-stakeholder Group on Social Business.

Francis Maude: This Government is committed to supporting social enterprise and growing the social investment market. Cabinet Office officials participate in the EU Group on Social Business on behalf of the UK as a member state of the European Union.

Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much money his Department has spent on each course of (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in his Department since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has spent no money on Media Training or Social Media Training for its Ministers since May 2010.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Accidents

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many air accidents in the UK in the last five years arose from (a) pilot error and (b) mechanical breakdown.

Robert Goodwill: Since July 2009 there have been 61 accidents investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch in the UK involving public transport aircraft. Of these around 70% were as a result of operational causal factors (human factors) and around 30% were as a result of technical causal factors. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch does not attribute any causes to pilot error as they are explicitly required not to apportion blame or liability.

Driving: Disqualification

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of drivers who accumulated over 12 points on their licence were disqualified in each of the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: An analysis of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s records carried out on 3 July 2014 showed that 93% of drivers who had accumulated 12 or more penalty points were disqualified. Figures for the proportion of drivers who had accumulated 12 or more points and were also disqualified are not available for previous years.

Driving: Disqualification

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers have accumulated more than 12 points in each year from 2010.

Robert Goodwill: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010 14,263 
			 2011 28,582 
			 2012 26,679 
			 2013 26,200 
			 2014 10,265 
		
	
	These figures were obtained from a scan of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s database on 11 July 2014. The information changes daily as the database is updated as conviction details are added or become spent. Figures provided for 2010 are lower because any penalty points obtained before July 2010 will have been removed from driver records as required by law.

First TransPennine Express

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made in securing rolling-stock to serve cross-Pennine routes post-electrification; and whether he plans to use new rolling stock or a redeployment of current stock.

Robert Goodwill: Following North West and North TransPennine electrification we expect bidders who are bidding for the TransPennine (TPE) franchise to propose high quality and high performing rolling stock suitable to serve the mix of passengers and journey types on TPE. Bidders will have the freedom to propose whether to use new rolling stock or redeploy current stock.

Fuels: EU Law

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the European Fuel Quality Directive Article 7a (a) on petrol prices and (b) generally.

Robert Goodwill: The Government takes the environmental implications of exploiting high carbon intensity crudes very seriously and fully supports the aim of the fuel quality directive to reduce carbon emissions. We also believe that the accounting methodology must be proportionate in the burden placed on suppliers. The European Commission’s proposals for a greenhouse gas intensity accounting methodology to implement article 7a failed to receive agreement in 2012, and we await the publication of a revised proposal and impact assessment.
	The Department consulted on measures to implement article 7(a–e) of the directive between March and June 2011. The core costs envisaged in the impact assessment relate to putting in place a 6% greenhouse gas emissions savings target to 2020, the supply of biofuels and other compliance measures required to achieve these reductions. The costs of delivering such measures are subject to a very high degree of uncertainty given that EU negotiations on key elements for implementing the directive have not yet concluded. Based on a range of provisional assumptions, it was estimated that, relative to the cost of policy currently in place, the impact in 2020 would be an increase of 0.5 pence per litre on petrol and 2.5 pence per litre on road diesel. A full analysis is presented in the impact assessment published on 10 March 2011 which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-to-implement-articles-7a-to-7e-of-the-eu-fuel-quality-directive-fqd-directive-98-70-ec-as-amended-by-2009-30-ec-requiring-suppliers-to-reduce-the-lifecycle-greenshouse-gas-intensity-of-transport-fuels-and-introducing-sustaina
	The UK has not yet set a trajectory for biofuel supply to meet the 6% greenhouse gas emissions savings target required in 2020. Any associated increase in targets for the supply of biofuel and other compliance measures would be the subject of a further consultation and a revised impact assessment which would carefully consider the impact on the motorist and the environment.

Garages and Petrol Stations

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require service stations to advertise their fuel prices so that they are visible from the highway so that motorists know them before leaving the public carriageway.

Robert Goodwill: The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (2002) prescribes a traffic sign for indicating the distance ahead to a named motorway service and which permits the price per litre of unleaded petrol to be displayed. The Government also announced in October 2013 that it would trial the display of comparative fuel prices on traffic signs along a motorway route to better inform road users and to encourage competition. A feasibility study is currently in progress to enable the trial to be undertaken in 2015-16.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the PricewaterhouseCoopers' report on the HS2 property bond scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The PWC report on the proposed HS2 property bond was considered when formulating the Government’s response to the Property Compensation Consultation 2013 for the London-West Midlands HS2 route published on 9 April. Section 8.3 of the Decision Document deals specifically with the analysis undertaken, including the PWC report. The Decision Document is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-property-compensation-consultation-2013-for-the-london-to-west-midlands-route-decision-document

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the change in value of properties within 500 metres of the proposed route of High Speed 2 through Rixton and Culcheth; and to what extent and on what basis his calculation of that change included an estimated local benefit from that line.

Robert Goodwill: No specific assessment has been conducted on this issue.

Public Transport: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of assaults on (a) staff and (b) customers on public transport in the last three years.

Robert Goodwill: The following figures have been provided by the British Transport police and cover all offences committed on the national rail network, the London Underground and other parts of the network which come under their jurisdiction.
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Number of assaults on staff 1,764 1,729 1,607 
			 Number of assaults on customers 3,800 3,832 3,865 
		
	
	The Department does not hold equivalent data for offences committed on other parts of the transport network which would be the responsibility of the relevant local constabulary.

Railways: Broadband

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which rail lines and services broadband improvements will be financed from the £53.1 million fine imposed on Network Rail by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport will work with the railway industry to establish a fund that will prioritise improved mobile communications on metropolitan and commuter train services into major cities across the country.

Roads: Standards

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the total value of compensation paid out of the public purse for damage to cars by poorly conditioned local roads in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10.

Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport has made no formal estimate of the total value of compensation for cars damaged on the local road network. Local highway authorities are responsible for maintaining local roads in their area and therefore are also responsible for compensation.

TREASURY

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many apprentices have been employed by contractors and sub-contractors to his Department in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of the total workforce of such contractors is made up by apprentices.

Andrea Leadsom: The information requested is not held centrally. To provide it would involve contacting numerous current and former suppliers. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Loans

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request UK Financial Investments Ltd to investigate the reasons why banks in receipt of financial support from the public purse have used deceptive practices to recover loans through sending of the letters purporting to be from law firms which do not exist.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government deplores the use of deceptive practices to recover loans. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the regulator responsible for the conduct of banks. It is for the FCA rather than UKFI to consider whether to take action against banks in relation to debt recovery practices.
	It is the responsibility of the banks involved to respond to any concerns raised by customers or regulators.
	The role of UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI) is to manage the Government’s shareholdings. As an engaged shareholder, UKFI acts to ensure that the banks have sound long-term strategies which produce value for the taxpayer, and that they are effectively managed and properly governed. However, it does not interfere in day-to-day operations.

Business: Loans

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with (a) UK Financial Investments and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority on circumstances in which banks in receipt of support from the public purse have sought to recover loans by sending letters purporting to be from law firms.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government deplores the use of deceptive practices to recover loans. The Chancellor discusses a number of issues with both UK Financial Investments (UKFI) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on an ongoing basis. However, the details of these discussions are not made public.
	The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the regulator responsible for the conduct of banks. It is for the FCA to consider whether to take action against banks in relation to debt recovery practices.
	It is the responsibility of the banks involved to respond to any concerns raised by customers or regulators.

Child Benefit

Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of whether changes made to child benefit legislation since May 2010 have resulted in unfair tax burdens falling on people who are living with a partner who has his or her own children in the household.

Nicky Morgan: Child benefit is paid for the welfare of the child/children in the household. If any partner in the household has income over £50,000 then they are required to register for the higher income child benefit charge regardless of whether or not they are the biological parent.
	This approach withdraws child benefit from those on high incomes, while leaving the majority of claimants completely unaffected by the changes. Those families with at least one taxpayer with an income over £60,000 can choose not to receive the child benefit, which means that they do not have to pay the tax charge at all.

Credit: Licensing

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reduction in consumer credit licences for short-term loans he expects when the authorisation process under the new Financial Conduct Authority regime has been completed in 2016.

Andrea Leadsom: This question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply to directly to my hon. Friend by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Financial Markets: Regulation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current regulatory regime for dark pool trading in the UK;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to monitor the functioning and usage of dark pool trading in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government put in place a new architecture for financial regulation through the Financial Services Act 2012, with the aim of delivering stability, protecting consumers and enhancing the integrity of financial markets. Within that framework, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for protecting consumers, promoting competition and enhancing market integrity.
	Dark pool trading in the UK is regulated by the FCA under UK and EU law, including the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (2004/39/EC) (MiFID). The new MiFIR Regulation (600/2014/EU) recently agreed as part of the “MiFID 2” negotiations will impose significant limits on dark pool trading in the EU.

House Insurance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he last met representatives of the insurance industry to discuss basic insurance products for low-income households in the private and social rented sectors;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of households in the (a) social rented sector and (b) private rented sector in the UK which are not covered by household contents insurance.

Andrea Leadsom: Treasury Ministers and officials routinely meet with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the process of policy development.
	Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
	The Treasury has not made an assessment of households in the UK which are not covered by household insurance in the social rented sector and private rented sector.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Andrea Leadsom: The following mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by the Department in 2013 and 2014 to date:
	
		
			  Mobile phones BlackBerrys Laptops 
			 2013 0 20 6 
			 2014 to date 0 9 2 
		
	
	All the laptop computers involved in these incidents were encrypted devices that are not accessible without a security token and more than one password. The BlackBerry devices are also password protected.
	Steps were taken, as soon as the loss of these electronic items was reported, to ensure that they provided no means of access to any of the Department's IT systems.

Income Tax

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) the UK and (b) East Yorkshire constituency no longer pay income tax as a result of changes in the personal income tax threshold introduced since 2010.

David Gauke: By April this year this Government's increases in the personal allowance (for those born after 5 April 1948) are estimated to have taken over 3 million individuals out of the income tax system altogether. 266,000 of these individuals live in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, which includes the parliamentary constituency of East Yorkshire.
	These estimates are based on the 2011-12 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2014-15 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.
	HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level.

Mortgages: Northern Ireland

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications have been submitted from Northern Ireland for the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme since January 2014.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government does not collect data on the number of applications participating lenders receive for mortgages supported by the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme.
	The Government publishes quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.
	This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

Nationwide Building Society: Cheshire Building Society

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential merger or amalgamation of Nationwide and Cheshire Building Society; and what effect such a move will have on the shareholders of that institution. [R]

Andrea Leadsom: Nationwide Building Society and Cheshire Building Society merged on 15 December 2008. Information about Nationwide's plans to integrate its regional building society brands into the 'Nationwide' brand is available from the Nationwide website, www.nationwide.co.uk. This is a business decision for Nationwide, and it is accountable to its members in the usual way.

Revenue and Customs

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what land HM Revenue and Customs owns; and what land HM Revenue and Customs plans to sell in the next year.

David Gauke: As in my answer given on 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 548W, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not own any land, and does not have any un-encumbered freehold buildings within its estate. The only exceptions to this are freehold interests in five Grade 1 Listed buildings that are owned by HMRC. However, each of these is subject to encumbrances impacting value and market demand. These five are compromised of the following:
	Three historic Custom Houses (London, Greenock & Belfast) each of which is subject to a 175 lease from 2001with nil rent receivable. HMRC sold the virtual freehold interest in these properties in 2001.
	Darwin House in Shrewsbury is subject to a 175 year lease from 2001 with nil rent receivable. HMRC also sold the virtual freehold interest in these properties in 2001.
	100 Parliament Street/1Horse Guards Road in London is subject to occupational rights to 2037 for the PFI provider, with nil rent receivable.
	HMRC does not plan to sell land or buildings in 2014-15.
	This position was previously stated and accepted in response to an inquiry made by the Homes and Community Agency in November 2013 on behalf of Cabinet Office (Government Property Unit) in relation to the Strategic Land and Property Review.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to address the concerns of the employees of HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland who have recently taken part in industrial action.

David Gauke: Following the spending review 2013 HMRC is now working on its longer term plans; further announcements will be made in due course on the implications for individuals, their work and the offices that they work in. In addition HMRC will be saying more about the overall size and shape of the department in the autumn.
	In terms of addressing the concerns of employees HMRC has been actively talking to its people about the future direction of the organisation. This conversation is being led through a series of Building our Future events, which all staff are invited to attend. As part of that dialogue with staff HMRC has made it clear that the department needs to modernise and has already advised that it will become a smaller, more highly professional organisation working out of fewer locations. Those people who remain with the organisation will have greater opportunities to retrain into a range of interesting and rewarding roles.
	HMRC has not offered any voluntary redundancies in Northern Ireland in the current financial year. However, this cannot be ruled out in the future if redeployment options cannot be found for staff in need of new roles. Civil service departments will work together to do all they can to redeploy staff who have formally been declared surplus.

Senior Civil Servants

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior civil servants appointed to positions in his Department since 2010 were previously (a) political appointees within that Department and (b) employed by a political party.

Andrea Leadsom: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Standard of Living

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent fiscal steps he has taken to encourage an improvement in living standards; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: The IFS state that:
	“there have been very significant falls in real earnings as a direct but delayed result of the 2008 recession, essentially.”
	The Government has taken continued action to help hardworking families, including raising the personal allowance, which will take over 3.2 million individuals out of income tax altogether by 2015-16, as well as freezing fuel duty, council tax and reducing household energy bills. The best way to improve people's living standards is to boost productivity and jobs, and the labour market has continued to strengthen with record numbers of people in work.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Covenant

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report 2013, what steps his Department has taken to improve the sharing of service facilities with civilians.

Andrew Murrison: The Department shares facilities with civilians where feasible (with defence needs taking priority) and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Devonport Dockyard

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department plans to release land at South Yard as agreed under Plymouth's City Deal.

Andrew Murrison: The Government intention is to release the land at South Yard on 31 March 2015 subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the work by the South Yard Programme Board.

Military Bases: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in providing accommodation for HQ1 Division in York what assumption his Department has made about how long the Divisional HQ will remain at Imphal Barracks.

Andrew Murrison: There are currently no plans to move Headquarters 1 (United Kingdom) Armoured Division from Imphal Barracks once it has moved there from its current location in Germany.

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box.

Philip Dunne: None.

Radioactive Waste: Fife

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects to publish the consultation document on remediation work at Dalgety Bay, Fife;
	(2)  if he will allocate funding for the removal of radiation particles and the repair of the beach area at Dalgety Bay, Fife;
	(3)  how long the period of consultation he proposes is for the review of remediation work at Dalgety Bay, Fife.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) published the Dalgety Bay Management Strategy report on 10 July 2014. The MOD has agreed in principle to implement the measures recommended in the report, though the arrangements are subject to discussion with other parties.
	Consultation on implementing the strategy will now be led by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which will set out its timetable.

Reserve Forces

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on advertising for recruitment to the Reserves in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: It is a key requirement for the armed forces to maintain a satisfactory balance of skills, experience, ability and seniority in rank to enable delivery of operational requirements. Despite the reduction in overall numbers of service personnel, the requirement for the armed forces to recruit and train personnel to replace those who leave the services remains.
	Figures for 2010 are not held centrally. Figures from 2011 onwards are set out in the table:
	
		
			 Total spend (£ million) 
			 Financial year (FY) Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force 
			 2011-12 2.86 Single tri-Service Campaign 
			 2012-13 1.6 5.04 1.34 
			 2013-14 1.8 1.95 2.23

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the guidelines for classifying Tornado collision risk are the same as those set out by Haddon-Cave BP 1201 and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Philip Dunne: Guidelines for classification within European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Regulations and Business Procedure (BP) 1201 focus on equipment risks based on aircraft Flying Hours and not Risk to Life. As recommended by Haddon-Cave, the risk assessment categories in Military Aviation Authority Regulatory Publications (MRP) are for assessment of the Risk to Life resulting from both equipment and operating risks. This allows Duty Holders to assess Risk to Life per annum and tolerability in line with the approach espoused in the Health and Safety Executive publication Reducing Risks Protecting People.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what professional development courses are made available to staff of his Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course.

Anna Soubry: The Defence Academy provides professional skills and knowledge courses to Defence personnel. The Defence Academy 2014 course prospectus can be found on the Academy's website:
	www.da.mod.uk
	A copy of that report and the 2012-13 Training and Education Statistical Analysis have been placed in the Library of the House.
	The cost of providing each individual course is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Defence Academy total operating costs in FY 2013-14 was £130.617 million.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the report of the independent review of the BBC's coverage of rural affairs commissioned by the BBC Trust and published in June 2014, if he will discuss with the BBC Trust the finding of that report that BBC coverage does not fully reflect the economic and social concerns of people who live in the countryside.

Edward Vaizey: There are no plans to discuss the findings of the Impartiality Review on the BBC’s coverage of rural areas in the UK. The BBC is operationally, editorially and managerially independent and it is for the BBC Trust to comment on and manage programme matters.

Commonwealth Games 2014

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the benefits to (a) tourism and (b) the economy following the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Helen Grant: Tourism is a devolved matter, so we have not made a specific assessment. However a lot of work is being done to promote the Commonwealth Games. VisitBritain are working with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and VisitScotland to operate two media centres in Glasgow-the Main Press Centre and the Destination Media Hub. VisitBritain has also been working with the FCO to fully engage international media.

Commonwealth Games 2014

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will provide lasting benefits to the area.

Helen Grant: The UK Government is working with the Scottish Government, Glasgow city council, the Organising Committee and others to ensure that the 2014 Glasgow games will be success for Glasgow. The Scottish Government has published its legacy programme and initiatives for the Glasgow games.
	The UK Government is supporting a joint business conference with the Scottish Government and the Commonwealth Business Council and the British Business House. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office used the UK’s extensive diplomatic network during the Queen’s Baton Relay to promote Scottish business and tourism and Visit Britain is using the games to promote tourism in Scotland.

Mobile Phones

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how his Department is monitoring the roll-out of 4G telephone coverage; and who is conducting that monitoring.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not directly monitor mobile coverage. Ofcom undertakes monitoring of mobile coverage and ensures compliance by the mobile network operators with any coverage obligations included in their spectrum licences. We expect the 4G roll-out to be the fastest and most complete roll-out in the EU, and this will ensure the UK continues to have some of the best mobile services in Europe.

Mobile Phones

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the progress of the Mobile Infrastructure Project.

Edward Vaizey: I hold regular meetings with supplier Arqiva to discuss the Mobile Infrastructure Project and officials in BDUK are in constant contact with Arqiva to monitor and assess progress.

Mobile Phones: Cambridgeshire

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what spot data Ofcom holds for Cambridgeshire.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom compile data on coverage from the mobile network operators to feed into their infrastructure report. In March this year, Ofcom commissioned updated voice coverage data from the operators to feed into planning for the Mobile Infrastructure Project. This data covers the UK, including Cambridgeshire, and highlights areas with no coverage from any operator, or ‘not spots’. The Mobile Infrastructure Project aims to put in place infrastructure to provide coverage to as many not spots containing premises as possible.

Mobile Phones: Cambridgeshire

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of mobile telephone coverage in Cambridgeshire.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not directly monitor mobile coverage. Ofcom undertakes monitoring of mobile coverage and ensures compliance by the mobile network operators with any coverage obligations included in their spectrum licences. Ofcom's most recent coverage figures, published in December 2013, indicate that 99.8% of premises in Cambridgeshire receive signal from at least one mobile operator, and 89.6% from all four operators.

Public Telephones

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from local authorities regarding the barriers to removing telephone boxes; and if he will take steps to remove such barriers.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not received any representations from local authorities regarding barriers to removing telephone boxes.
	Under its Universal Service obligations, BT must provide public call boxes which sufficiently meet the needs of consumers. Before BT can remove the last public call box from a site (defined as any area within a walking distance of 400 metres from that public call box), it must follow the process set out in the Directions and Guidance published by Ofcom. The relevant local authority must be consulted and, if it can show why a particular uneconomic payphone should be retained, it can exercise the ‘local veto’. This will result in the payphone being retained.
	Local councils can also ask BT to remove a particular box. Assuming BT agrees to the request, if there are other boxes within 400 metres, the box can be removed without consultation; if not, BT would need to follow the process above.
	These procedures ensure a process for the removal of uneconomic phone boxes, balanced with appropriate safeguards against the removal of phone boxes where they still serve a community need.

Telecommunications

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government will publish its response to the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Edward Vaizey: Since the Law Commission published its report on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code in February 2013, my Department has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network rollout and service provision to consumers. In January 2014 we published an economic analysis of the impact of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code, and respond to the Law Commission’s report, in due course.

Tour de France

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has been made of the financial benefit of the Tour de France to Yorkshire and the South-East.

Helen Grant: The Tour De France Grand Depart was a resounding success and was extremely well supported in communities along all three stages. UK Sport is supporting the production of an economic impact report by local authorities covering the main locations on the route and this will be made available later this year.

EDUCATION

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 538W, on academies, if he will disaggregate the data to identify payments under the Sponsor Capacity Fund detailing (a) when any such grant was awarded, (b) how much was awarded, (c) whether each organisation subsequently sponsored any academies and (d) the date on which any monies were returned to the Department by those who did not.

Edward Timpson: Details of payments made under the Sponsor Capacity Fund (over £25,000) are published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-department-and-executive-agency-spend-over-25-000
	A list of all open academies and their sponsors, alongside equivalent details for approved projects not yet open, is published online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development
	Academy sponsors who receive the Sponsor Capacity Fund are required to sign a Grant Funding Agreement, agreeing to adhere to the terms and conditions of the grant. In addition, they are required to submit an Annual Certification of Expenditure, signed by their auditors, and a final report detailing what has been achieved through use of the grant. If they fail to comply with any of the conditions of grant, or are deemed to be in breach of it, they may be required to return all or part of the grant to the Department.

Academies: Land

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many proposed transactions relating to land sold by academy trusts he has (a) approved and (b) declined since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Since July 2011, the Secretary of State for Education has approved 175 transactions relating to land disposed of by academy trusts. He has rejected one case as he was not satisfied that the academy trust was receiving the best value from the proposed lease.
	Many of these were leased back to local authorities, publicly funded education providers or not-for-profit organisations.

Academies: Land

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what value of land has been sold by academy trusts since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Whenever the Secretary of State for Education is asked for consent to a disposal, the academy trust provides an estimate of the land value on which to base his decision. This must be a Red Book valuation provided by a chartered surveyor.
	About two thirds of all academy trusts hold their land on leases from the local authority, and consent is granted to the local authority if it applies to sell that land. The local authority would be responsible for accounting for any sale in its accounts for the year in which the sale completes. Similarly, where any freehold academy trust has been granted consent to dispose of land, it is responsible for including the actual receipt in its accounts. The majority of land transaction details are published online at:
	www.landregistry.gov.uk

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Childcare and Early Years has had with parents of disabled children about improving access, affordability and quality of childcare for disabled children since he was appointed.

Elizabeth Truss: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families is responsible for special educational needs and disability issues within the Department for Education. He has had numerous meetings with the parents of disabled children to discuss a wide range of issues. I have regular meetings with all of my ministerial colleagues on subjects of mutual interest.
	The guidance in the draft Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice includes a separate chapter on the early years and also makes clear that local authorities must include details of childcare for disabled children in their local offer of support for children who are disabled or have special educational needs.

Female Genital Mutilation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued for teachers on identifying girls at risk of female genital mutilation; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: On 3 April 2014 the Department for Education published ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, which provides schools with updated statutory guidance about pupil safeguarding. The guidance contains information about female genital mutilation (FGM) and a link to more detailed multi-agency guidelines.
	On 22 May 2014 the Department’s summer term e-mail to all schools drew attention to the statutory guidance and reminded schools of the need to be particularly vigilant in the summer term because of the heightened risk during the summer holiday.

Free Schools

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the first tier tribunal decision notice of 2 July 2014, reference EA/2013/0270*, if he will take steps so that personal information in all future free school applications can be redacted easily and quickly and at reasonable cost; if he will make it his policy to release all future free school applications with any personal information that could identify individuals redacted; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education takes its responsibility for protecting personal data very seriously. The first tier tribunal ruled that it would place too high a burden on the Department, and therefore the taxpayer, to redact and release every free school application that it had received under that Freedom of Information request.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Edward Timpson: The following Blackberry devices and laptops were lost by the Department for Education in the period requested.
	
		
			  BlackBerry devices Laptops 
			 2013 31 2 
			 2014 to date 16 3 
		
	
	Information about mobile devices is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All Department for Education IT equipment is fully security encrypted.

HOME DEPARTMENT

DNA: Databases

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for information held on the National DNA Database were received by her Department from other countries in each of the last five years. [Official Report, 1 September 2014, Vol. 585, c. 7-10MC.]

Karen Bradley: The first category relates to searches carried out against the National DNA Database (NDNAD) of DNA profiles from outstanding serious crimes or for the identification of an unknown deceased person believed to be a UK national. The following figures are for requested searches undertaken on the basis of a direct request from the National Crime Agency (NCA) formerly Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), with the report as to the outcome of each profile search being issued directly to the United Kingdom National Central Bureau for Interpol (UK NCB).
	
		
			  Number of searched profile responses provided to NCA/SOCA1,2,3 
			 2009-104 5377 
			 2010-11 548 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 469 
			 2012-13 443 
			 2013-14 4,094 
			 1 The data have been extracted from logs produced by NDNAD (validated as the only source of this information) by the application of the specified criteria (requests directly received from NCA/SOCA). The data were extracted by the manual filtering of Excel Spreadsheets. 2 The UK NCB is not currently able to provide data on the number of requests received from other countries so these data relate solely to information supplied by the National DNA Database Delivery Unit (NDU). 3 The data were extracted on 17 June. 4 Data are not available for the period October 2009 to January 2010. 5 These figures have been verified on a 1:1 comparison basis. 
		
	
	The second category includes requests for the DNA profile held for a subject on the NDNAD, where fingerprints have been provided to the country that the individual currently resides in. Again this is information provided to NCA/ SOCA.
	
		
			  Number of requests for subject profiles release to NCA/SOCA1,2,3 
			 2009-10 1,384 
			 2010-11 85 
			 2011-12 19 
			 2012-13 14 
			 2013-14 3 
			 1 The data have been extracted from logs produced by NDNAD (validated as the only source of this information) by the application of the specified criteria (requests directly received from NCA/SOCA). The data were extracted by the manual filtering of Excel Spreadsheets. 2 The UK NCB is not currently able to provide data on the number of requests received from other countries so these data relate solely to information supplied by the National DNA Database Delivery Unit (NDU). 3 The data were extracted on 17 June. 
		
	
	The third category relates to database management information. This provides the number of subject and crime scene DNA profile records held on the database and the number of match reports generated. Countries which do not have a DNA database use this information to demonstrate the success of the UK Database to support their case for legislation in their own country for a DNA database.
	Requestors are directed to the most recent published statistics on the Home Office NDNAD website, at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-dna-database-statistics
	thus no figures are kept for the numbers of such requests.

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 717W, on human trafficking, 
	(1)  how her Department gathers information to ensure that victims are safe once they have left the support service, if the town in which they have been placed is withheld on safety grounds;
	(2)  whether the Salvation Army shares with her Department information on the town and shelter in which each victim is placed and whether the victim has a conclusive grounds decision.

Karen Bradley: Information on the whereabouts of adult victims, once they exit Government-funded support services, is not routinely held.
	Although there is no requirement under the UK's European convention against trafficking obligations to support a victim once they have exited the service, the Government is looking into ways to provide post-exit support to victims which will enable continuous engagement with them, with the purpose of ensuring their well-being and successful integration into mainstream society or re-integration into their home country. This proposal is being considered as part of the review of the National Referral Mechanism and the retender of the Government-funded support service.
	Should the Home Office request information, including on the town and shelter in which each victim is placed and whether the victim has a conclusive grounds decision, the Salvation Army is obliged to share it.

Police: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the numbers of (a) police officers, (b) special constables, (c) police community support officers and (d) police staff in (i) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency and (ii) Cumbria Constabulary force area since 2010.

Michael Penning: The table contains the requested data for the change in police officers, special constables, police community support, officers and police staff in the Cumbria Constabulary force area since 2010.
	The Home Office does not collect figures for the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.
	
		
			 Change in the number of full-time equivalent1 police officers, special constables2, police community support officers and police staff in Cumbria, between 2010 and 2013 
			  September 2010 September 2013 Change between 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2013 Percentage change between 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2013 
			 Police officers 1,220 1,126 -94 -8 
			 Special constables 139 114 -25 -18 
			 Police community support officers 106 86 -20 -19 
			 Police staff 761 599 -162 -21 
			 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been presented to the nearest whole number. 2 Special constable figures are provided on a headcount basis. Source: Home Office

Road Traffic Offences: Sussex Police

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of online reports made to Sussex Police in respect of the Operation Crackdown online mechanism which are (a) malicious and (b) erroneous;
	(2)  how many people have been employed in web development and related roles in each year since the establishment of Operation Crackdown by Sussex Police; and what key performance indicators apply to them;
	(3)  how many people have been the subject of (a) reports and (b) letters resulting from Sussex Police's operation of Operation Crackdown in respect of (i) motoring and (ii) non-motoring incidents in each year since its inception;
	(4)  if he will make it his policy that persons who receive letters from Sussex Police related to Operation Crackdown will be entitled to simultaneous disclosure of (a) all evidence held in relation to the incident that triggered the report and (b) any related incidents on which the service seeks to rely;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the compliance with the precepts of natural justice of the procedures adopted by Sussex Police in its promotion of Operation Crackdown;
	(6)  what (a) financial, (b) staffing and (c) capacity-building support and assistance her Department has given to Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in respect of (i) activities relating to Operation Crackdown and (ii) all other activities in each year since its inception;
	(7)  what metrics her Department applies to assess the performance of Sussex Safer Roads Partnership's contribution to Operation Crackdown;
	(8)  if she will publish her assessment of the effectiveness of the protocols governing Sussex Safer Roads Partnership's contribution to Operation Crackdown;
	(9)  what reason people who have received letters from Sussex Police about alleged incidents within the remit of Operation Crackdown are advised that subject access requests under section 7 of the Data Protection Act are redundant;
	(10)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the remedies available to people who are the subjects of erroneous or malicious reports to Sussex Police in respect of the Operation Crackdown online mechanism.

Michael Penning: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Sussex Safer Roads Partnership receives no direct funding, or contributions from the Government. Operation Crackdown is a local police initiative and the Government has no involvement in measuring its effectiveness.

Senior Civil Servants

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior civil servants appointed to positions in her Department since 2010 were previously (a) political appointees within that Department and (b) employed by a political party.

Karen Bradley: Unlike special advisers who became senior officials under the last Government, there has been no appointment to the Home Office since 2010 of a senior civil servant who was previously a political appointee within the Department.
	The Department does not routinely hold the information asked in (b) therefore in order to ascertain how many senior civil servants appointed since 2010 were previously employed by a political party would incur disproportionate cost.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in the UK Border Agency were assigned to implementing the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and how many such staff were engaged in (i) detection, (ii) intelligence gathering and analysis, (iii) investigations and (iv) the provision of legal advice.

Karen Bradley: UK Border Agency (UKBA) was responsible for customs functions until March 2012. Detection and intelligence work on illegal commodities, including illegal tobacco, is now carried out by Border Force, in partnership with civil service and law enforcement colleagues.
	As operations undertaken by UKBA and Border Force targeted a range of commodities, the numbers of staff working specifically on the tobacco strategy are not available. To release more general information about the numbers of staff involved in such operations would jeopardise the effectiveness of our current customs activities. Border Security must be our prime consideration.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of salaries for staff allocated to the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy for those staff (a) engaged in detection, (b) engaged in investigations, (c) working on intelligence matters and (d) in total in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13.

Karen Bradley: Details of staffing resources deployed to specifically deal with tobacco smuggling were not kept, so we are unable to provide information as to the salary costs.
	In order to ensure the effectiveness of our current operations and maintain border security, Border Force is unable to provide information on the numbers of staff involved in any current or historical operations. Border security must be our prime consideration.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Air Travel

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions each Minister within his Department has taken domestic flights on official business since May 2010.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have taken domestic flights on 11 occasions since May 2010 on official business; the details are in the following table.
	
		
			 Date Minister Destinations 
			 June 2013 Foreign Secretary Round trip to Edinburgh 
			 January 2014 Foreign Secretary Round trip to Glasgow 
			 September 2010 Mr Lidington Round trip to Edinburgh 
			 October 2011 Mr Lidington Round trip to Belfast 
			 February 2012 Mr Lidington Round trip to Edinburgh 
			 January 2013 Mr Lidington Round trip to Edinburgh 
			 May 2013 Mr Lidington Single journey to Belfast 
		
	
	
		
			 June 2013 Mr Lidington Single journey Edinburgh to London 
			 December 2013 Mr Swire Round trip to Glasgow 
			 July 2013 Mr Simmonds Round trip to Aberdeen 
			 September 2010 Mr Bellingham Round trip to Edinburgh

Balkans

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to strengthen trading relations between the UK and (a) Albania and (b) Montenegro.

David Lidington: The information is as follows.
	(a) With regard to Albania, our positive bilateral relations means the UK is seen by Albania as partner of choice across a number of reform areas, which frequently results in commercial contracts for UK businesses. Crown Agents' contract to reform the customs administration is a good example of this. More broadly, our embassy advises and assists UK businesses who are interested in investing or operating in Albania, and is active in promoting opportunities.
	For example, our embassy has provided advice to British companies in the telecommunications, oil and gas, mining, pipeline, flight training, pharmaceutical, travel, engineering, and consultancy sectors. In addition our embassy maintains good relationships with local foreign investor associations to whom referrals for advice are made.
	(b) The Foreign and Commonweath Office (FCO) is active in promoting the UK's trading relationship with Montenegro through FCO-funded projects that help create an environment in which strong economic relations can thrive. These include projects aimed at: strengthening Montenegro's rule of law framework; fighting corruption; tackling tax fraud; and increasing transparency. Additionally, our Embassy in Montenegro facilitates cooperation between UK businesses and their Montenegrin counterparts. A recent example of successful trade relations between businesses from the two countries is Porto Montenegro—a sea-front development in Tivat worth more than €180 million, in which more than 50 British companies were involved.

Conflict Pool

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the eligibility criteria are for projects requiring Conflict Pool funding.

Mark Simmonds: The Conflict Pool is a tri-departmental resource managed jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development. It funds conflict prevention activity in fragile and conflict affected states that are high priorities for the UK. Conflict Pool projects must support the priorities in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy. These are: early warning; rapid crisis response; and upstream conflict prevention, focusing on supporting free, transparent and inclusive political systems; effective and accountable security and justice (including defence engagement) and developing the capacity of local populations and regional and multilateral institutions to prevent and resolve the conflicts that affect them. Conflict Pool funding is a mix of ODA and non-ODA eligible funding and project work is undertaken by a wide range of implementers including HMG, NGOs and international bodies.

Conflict Pool

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent from the Conflict Pool in each country in each year since its launch.

Mark Simmonds: The tri-departmental conflict pool in its current form was created in 2010. The conflict pool is managed on a regional programme basis. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded projects in all of the conflict pool’s five regional programmes: in Afghanistan; in Africa where activity has included work in Nigeria, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya; in the middle east and North Africa including projects in Syria, Libya, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories; in South Asia where activity has mostly been in Pakistan; and activity through the Wider Europe programme in the Western Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Activity in all these programmes includes regional, cross-border and multilateral projects as well as country-specific activity. The FCO also funds activity through the Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships Programme (SAP) supporting international organisations, including the UN and international NGOs, to prevent conflict.
	It is therefore not possible to break down spend fully on a country basis. The FCO’s spend by programme from financial year 2009-10 to financial year 2013-14 is detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 Africa  
			 2009-10 11,513,293 
			 2010-11 10,148,734 
			 2011-12 23,928,463 
			 2012-13 22,648,917 
			 2013-14 24,575,287 
			   
			 Afghanistan  
			 2009-10 65,015,660 
			 2010-11 72,260,986 
			 2011-12 67,391,371 
			 2012-13 48,274,454 
			 2013-14 35,123,462 
			   
			 MENA  
			 2009-10 13,086,773 
			 2010-11 8,219,371 
			 2011-12 15,390,246 
			 2012-13 17,286,896 
			 2013-14 44,656,803 
			   
			 South Asia  
			 2009-10 5,162,725 
			 2010-11 6,886,111 
			 2011-12 10,048,078 
			 2012-13 13,382,327 
			 2013-14 15,238,714 
			   
			 SAP  
			 2009-10 1,795,450 
			 2010-11 1,879,215 
			 2011-12 1,314,659 
			 2012-13 3,043,310 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 3,004,862 
			   
			 Wider Europe  
			 2009-10 22,606,731 
			 2010-11 9,201,708 
			 2011-12 8,024,044 
			 2012-13 11,034,924 
			 2013-14 15,001,854

Diego Garcia

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the monthly flight logs of flights which have passed through Diego Garcia from January 2002 to January 2009.

Mark Simmonds: During routine work to add existing records to the store in Diego Garcia, BIOT immigration officials noted water damage to a small number of records, caused by a leaking roof. This is believed to have resulted from extremely heavy weather in June 2014. Although the extent of the damage was not clear on initial inspection at the time, as I said in my answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 172W, records from 2002 appeared to be incomplete due to water damage.
	However, since my answer of 8 July, BIOT immigration officials have conducted a fuller inspection, and previously wet paper records have been dried out. They report that no flight records have been lost as a result of the water damage. A small number of immigration arrival cards from 2004 have been damaged, but that information about those flights is still available in the daily occurrence logs and monthly statistics. These records provide dates of aircraft movements in the Territory, and passenger and crew numbers.
	Following the incident, all hard copy records from the affected location are being transferred from the airport to a new location, and will be digitalised over the coming months.

Diplomatic Service: Official Hospitality

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much each (a) HM embassy and (b) UK high commission spend on hosting a party to mark the official birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Simmonds: The cost of each Queen’s birthday party organised across our network of overseas missions are wholly or partially paid for out of locally held budgets in each country. These figures are therefore not available without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The Queen’s birthday party offers an excellent opportunity to promote the United Kingdom and build relations with a wide range of contacts and local opinion formers during this special but dignified occasion.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) takes its responsibilities for protecting information assets seriously and complies with all the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework. As such, it has in place, security incident management procedures to ensure losses are dealt with appropriately.
	The FCO’s central records show the following equipment reported as lost or stolen, overseas and in the UK in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 until 30 June:
	
		
			  Lost/Stolen 2013 Lost/Stolen 2014 
			 Items UK Overseas UK Overseas 
			 BlackBerrys 24 31 3 22 
			 Laptops 5 7 3 1 
		
	
	Blackberry devices are protected with remote wipe when the device is reported lost or stolen. In addition, after five failed attempts to access the password, the auto-wipe will clear the device of any data.
	Information on the number of mobile telephones lost or stolen is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. To enable maximum value for money, mobile phones are controlled by individual posts where they take advantage of local telephone rates and mobile telephone deals. Hence there is no central management or monitoring of mobile usage.

Israel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what condolences the UK has offered to Israel following the discovery of the bodies of the three murdered teenagers, Naftali Freikel, Gilad Sha'ar and Eyal Yifrah.

Mark Simmonds: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), issued a statement on 30 June, following the discovery of the missing Israeli teenagers saying that his prayers and thoughts were with the families of the teenagers. Our ambassador to Israel, Matthew Gould, attended the funeral.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), expressed his deepest sympathies to the families and to all Israelis as they mourned this sad loss.

Ivory Coast

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of EU restrictive measures against Côte d'Ivoire.

Mark Simmonds: Sanctions have helped improve the situation in Cote d’Ivoire by limiting destabilising factors through restrictions on the sale, supply and transfer of arms and by targeting those who constitute a threat to peace and national reconciliation with asset freeze and travel ban measures. The sanctions remain under regular review and were revised by the UN in April 2014 following a UN Group of Experts report. The UK Government continues to closely monitor the situation and work with partners to support reform and encourage progress by the government of Côte d’Ivoire, particularly ahead of elections planned for October 2015.

Niger

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to the Government of Niger to assist it to tackle terrorism and organised crime.

Mark Simmonds: The UK has seconded a UK national to the EU training mission which is working to build the capacity of the Nigerien security forces. In February 2014, the UK participated in the regional security training exercise Operation Flintlock, hosted by Niger, which fosters regional co-operation to support counter terrorism and stabilisation activities in North and West Africa.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), chaired a ministerial meeting in London on security in Nigeria on 12 June 2014. The Nigerien Foreign Minister participated in this event, which made important commitments to enhance regional security co-operation.

Nigeria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department plans to offer to Nigeria in tackling the threat of Boko Haram.

Mark Simmonds: The UK is playing a leading role in helping Nigeria to tackle the terrorist threat from Boko Haram and related group Ansaru, working closely both with the Nigerian authorities and international partners. The UK proscribed Boko Haram in July 2013.
	Following the abduction in April of the Chibok schoolgirls the Prime Minister offered a package of support including: tactical advice and training for the military to help counter terrorism; military air surveillance capacity and intelligence support to help try to locate the girls; £1 million towards the UN Safe Schools initiative. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs hosted a ministerial meeting on security in Nigeria on 12 June in London. The meeting delivered agreements from Nigeria, neighbouring countries and international partners on improved security, intelligence co-operation, and commitment both to coordination of development work in the region and to empowerment and education of women.
	We are also working with Nigeria on a range of judicial and security projects to improve military capacity, policing, access to justice and prosecution of terrorists. All UK counter terrorism work is subject to the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) process.

Nigeria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have had with leading members of the Nigerian opposition party, the All Progressive Congress; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: Since the formation of the All Progressive Congress in 2013, I have met Governor Fashola (Lagos State), Governor Amaechi (Rivers State) and Governor Shettima (Borno State). I am unaware of any other meetings between the Secretary of State or other FCO Ministers and leading members of the All Progressive Congress.
	We stand ready to work with the Nigerian Government and politicians of all parties to uphold the democratic process in Nigeria and ensure the elections in 2015 are as free, fair and peaceful as possible.

Nigeria and Cameroon

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will commission an inquiry into the international support network for Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We have no plans at present to commission an inquiry into the international support network for Boko Haram in Nigeria and Cameroon. However, we are working with international partners, including Nigeria and its neighbours, the US and France to share information and coordinate efforts to defeat Boko Haram, including through the creation of a Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU).

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much and what proportion of his Department’s budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department’s budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15.

David Lidington: Procurement responsibilities are devolved to directorates in the UK and our network of posts. Information regarding outsourced activities is not held centrally in the UK and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Seas and Oceans: Conferences

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy statements were announced by the Government at the Our Ocean conference held on 16 and 17 June 2014; and what steps the Government plans to take to implement those proposals.

Mark Simmonds: Sir David King, the Secretary of State’s Special Representative on Climate Change represented the Government at the Our Ocean conference in Washington. He highlighted the UK’s ongoing ocean conservation work, in particular the Marine Protected Areas already designated in the British Indian Ocean Territories and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. No policy statements were announced.

South Pacific

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2014, Official Report, column 735W, on the South Pacific, what his Department is projected to spend on the Senior Pacific Police Leadership Programme in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 3 July 2014, Official Report, column 735W. I have asked officials to update his office directly when a decision on funding is reached.

Zimbabwe

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made relations with the government of Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Simmonds: We remain committed to supporting the Zimbabwean people in achieving a prosperous and democratic future, including through engagement with the Government of Zimbabwe. The UK continues to hold regular high-level meetings with the Government and others across the political spectrum to promote democracy and good governance and discuss a range of issues.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Prisoners: Social Security Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit to people in prison in the last period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	While eligibility for housing benefit is assessed when a claim is made or in the event of a change of circumstances, information relating to whether or not a claimant is in prison is not retained in the administrative data for housing benefit and council tax benefit that is supplied to DWP for analysis.

Social Security Benefits

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) male and (b) female benefit claimants in (i) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK have been sanctioned in the last (A) six months and (B) 12 months.

Esther McVey: The available information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of individuals with an adverse benefit sanction applied in Great Britain, Scotland and Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency 
			   Great Britain Scotland Kilmarnock and Loudoun 
			 Sanction applied July to December 2013 Male 238,330 23,660 430 
			  Female 121,100 10,260 190 
			      
			 Sanction applied January to December 2013 Male 404,490 39,490 770 
			  Female 206,490 17,730 400 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The number of benefit sanctions applied is the number of sanction or disallowance referrals where the decision was found against the claimant for those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, or Income Support (Lone Parents). 3. Data are up to December 2013 which are the latest available. 4. Income Support Lone Parents receive a fixed sanction of 20% of the personal allowance rate of a single claimant [not aged less than 25] for each failure to attend/participate in a Work Focused Interview until 10 pence is left in payment. This sanction lasts until the individual attends and participates in a Work Focused Interview. In the case where there is more than one sanction in place the claimant need only attend/participate in one Work Focused Interview in order for all related sanctions to be removed from their benefit. 5. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA and ESA from 22 October 2012 and 3 December 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules 6. This information for JSA and ESA sanctions is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ 7. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm Source: (JSA and ESA): DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. (IS): Income Support Computer System

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the contribution of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 471, 
	(1)  when he expects that jobseeker's allowance and tax credits will be closed down;
	(2)  what his policy is on closing down jobseeker's allowance and tax credits before the 2015 General Election.

Esther McVey: We announced our plans for the implementation of universal credit on 5 December, and these were set out in a written ministerial statement, 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS. The WMS can be found here:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131205/wmstext/131205m0001.htm#column_65WS

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department first submitted the Universal Credit Strategic Outline Business Case to HM Treasury.

Esther McVey: The initial Universal Credit Strategic Outline Business Case was shared with HM Treasury in March 2011. Further iterations have been shared since, as is usual practice, and an updated draft of the overall Strategic Outline Business Case, covering the full life-time of the Programme up to 2023-24, was sent to HM Treasury in December 2013.
	The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has approved the UC Strategic Outline Business Case plans for the remainder of this Parliament (2014-15) as per the ministerial announcement (5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS)—link to WMS:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131205/wmstext/131205m0001.htm#column_65ws

Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what processes his Department has agreed to enable housing associations to be informed when tenants migrate to universal credit.

Steve Webb: Universal credit is currently only available for new claims. Migration will be part of the future delivery plans which were announced in the written ministerial statement made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), 5 December 2013, Official Report, column. 65WS.
	The Department recognises the advantages of data sharing to help both landlords and the Department deliver their objectives and this will be considered as part of our overall test and learn approach.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what forecast his Department made of total IT spending in (a) the full business case for universal credit currently being considered by HM Treasury and (b) the business case previously approved for universal credit.

Esther McVey: Universal credit is a major reform that will transform the Welfare State in Britain, bringing £35 billion in economic benefits. The programme is delivering within its allocated budgets.
	Information on spending for the universal credit programme was included in the September 2013 NAO Report: (HC 621-Session 2013-14-Link)
	http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/10132-001-Universal-credit.pdf
	Further spending information was provided in a written answer response, 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 114W-Link
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm140707/text/140707w0005.htm#column_114W

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding his Department has committed to the Local Support Services Framework for (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Esther McVey: Where UC is already live, funding has been provided to reflect the type/level of Local Support Services that will be delivered with local authorities through individually tailored Delivery Partnership Agreements. This will continue to be the case as UC expands in North-west England.
	On 10 July 2014 we announced the 11 partnerships selected to take part in the formal trials to test the delivery of local support services through integrated delivery partnerships:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/partnerships-for-delivery
	The trials will help inform the level of local support required and what, if any, additional funding is needed.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the capacity of local authorities to co-ordinate local agencies to deliver the aims of the Local Support Services Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Local Support Service Framework published in December 2013 sets out the principles of local support provision, providing a structure for planning holistic and localised support for those who need help to make and maintain a claim to universal credit:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-local-support-services-framework
	DWP, local authorities and others already work in partnership to deliver local support services and delivery of LSSF will build on these partnerships. On 10 July 2014 we announced the names of the 11 partnerships selected to take part in the formal trials that will provide the necessary learning and evaluation of the delivery of local support services through integrated delivery partnerships:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/partnerships-for-delivery

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Females

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK plays a leading role in tackling violence against women and girls in the most disadvantaged parts of the globe; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is playing a leading role in tackling violence against women and girls internationally. This includes supporting efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation and Child, Early and Forced Marriage, leading work on protecting women and girls from violence in humanitarian emergencies, and building the evidence on how to prevent violence before it starts through a £25 million research and innovation programme called ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’.
	I refer the hon. Member to my recent written ministerial statement of 3 July 2014, Official Report, column 62WS, which provides further details on what the UK is doing on this important area.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by her Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID’s records show the following items have been reported as lost or stolen within the requested period:
	
		
			  Number of items lost or stolen 
			 Items 2013 2014 
			 Mobile telephones 8 9 
			 BlackBerrys 10 6 
			 Laptops 14 8

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons Board of Management

Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether members of the House of Commons Management Board require authorisation from the Chief Executive, House of Commons Commission or any other authority before undertaking external speaking engagements related to their professional role.

John Thurso: The Clerk of the House is the line manager of the other executive members of the Management Board. As part of the House Service's policy of making the work of the House better known to the public, the Clerk encourages members of the Management Board to speak about their work, while of course observing necessary requirements of impartiality and confidentiality, and avoiding any conflicts of interest. Accordingly, within those guidelines, he has given discretion to members of the Board to accept invitations to speak as they see fit.

House of Commons Board of Management

Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether members of the Management Board must seek authorisation for the contents of their remarks or lines to take during oral question and answer sessions at external speaking engagements related to their professional role.

John Thurso: The Clerk of the House is the line manager of the other executive members of the Management Board. As part of the House Service’s policy of making the work of the House better known to the public, the Clerk encourages members of the Management Board to speak about their work, while of course observing necessary requirements of impartiality and confidentiality, and avoiding any conflicts of interest. Accordingly, within those guidelines, he has given discretion to members of the Board to accept invitations to speak as they see fit and does not require them to seek authorisation for the contents of their remarks or for lines to take.

House of Commons Board of Management

Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, on how many occasions each member of the Management Board has undertaken an external speaking engagement in each of the last four financial years.

John Thurso: The House Service does not collect the information requested. As part of the House Service’s policy of making the work of the House better known to the public, the Clerk encourages members of the Management Board to speak about their work, and they do so frequently, for example at outreach events.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by the House of Commons Commission in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

John Thurso: The following response relates to items owned by the House of Commons, issued by the Parliamentary ICT Service that have been reported as lost. Items not supplied by Parliamentary ICT (such as those owned by individuals or third parties) are excluded.
	No losses were reported during 2013; four phones, one laptop and no BlackBerrys have been reported as lost so far during 2014.

Welsh Affairs Select Committee

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the House of Commons Commission will make available to the Welsh Affairs Committee funds to allow the hiring of Welsh translators to allow submissions to be provided without English translation.

John Thurso: The general practice of the Welsh Affairs Committee has been to ask those submitting written evidence in Welsh to provide an English translation. It appears that in the 1990s when written evidence was submitted to the Welsh Affairs Committee in the Welsh language only, translation was provided by the Welsh Office free of charge. The Clerk of the House has asked me to say that, in view of the representations by the hon. Member and others, he is happy to accept the point of principle that submissions should be accepted without an English translation, and that he has asked the Committee Office to work on the details.

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to supporting the micro combined heat and power fuel cell industry; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Government believes that micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP), including fuel cell technology, has a part to play in small scale low carbon power supply and heating. Micro-CHP, up to 2kW, is currently supported through the feed-in tariffs. Fuel cell technology, which has the potential to deliver increased power generation, should be well placed to benefit from that scheme. Manufacturers would need to complete the relevant testing and obtain MCS or equivalent certification for their products.

Electricity Interconnectors

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount of electricity that passed through interconnections from (a) England to Scotland and (b) Scotland to England in each month since January 2010.

Michael Fallon: The following table provides a breakdown of the electricity that passed through the interconnector from England to Scotland and Scotland to England in each month since January 2010.
	
		
			 Transfers (GWh) 
			   Scotland-England England-Scotland 
			 2010 January 803 16 
			  February 321 122 
			  March 679 31 
			  April 235 — 
			  May 484 11 
			  June 656 7 
			  July 1,113 1 
			  August 606 4 
			  September 1,037 — 
			  October 948 — 
			  November 777 16 
			  December 578 33 
			 2011 January 696 16 
			  February 678 53 
			  March 222 151 
			  April 868 5 
			  May 1,071 0 
			  June 977 0 
			  July 918 — 
			  August 788 2 
			  September 1,064 — 
			  October 1,068 10 
			  November 1,664 — 
			  December 1,819 — 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 January 1,798 — 
			  February 1,553 — 
			  March 1,416 — 
			  April 508 42 
			  May 306 179 
			  June 301 95 
			  July 352 66 
			  August 505 19 
			  September 932 3 
			  October 875 0 
			  November 1,109 — 
			  December 1,467 2 
			 2013 January 1,225 3 
			  February 930 101 
			  March 697 60 
			  April 1,408 9 
			  May 1,245 2 
			  June 1,119 0 
			  July 928 — 
			  August 994 0 
			  September 734 12 
			  October 1,093 — 
			  November 1,191 12 
			  December 1,908 — 
			 2014 January 1 — 
			  February 1,372 — 
			  March 1,314 0 
			  April 958 5 
			 Source: Aggregated half hourly data supplied by National Grid

Energy Company Obligation

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure the delivery in rural areas of the 15 per cent proportion of the carbon saving community obligation; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: On 5 March 2014, the Department launched a consultation on the future of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). The consultation included a proposal designed to increase the delivery of the rural sub-target. The proposal is intended to make the rural sub-target easier to deliver for obligated suppliers by simplifying the rural eligibility criteria to ensure a greater number of households will be eligible to receive support.
	The Department will publish the Government response to the consultation shortly.

Energy Company Obligation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 66W, on fuel poverty, when his Department intends to publish its response and final assessment of the impact of the consultation on the future of the Energy Company Obligation.

Edward Davey: The Department aims to publish the Government response to the consultation, along with the assessment of impacts, shortly.

Energy Supply

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies registered outside the UK generate (a) coal, (b) gas, (c) nuclear and (d) renewable energy in the UK; and what proportion of each sector such companies are.

Edward Davey: DECC does not hold this information centrally and providing it would incur disproportionate cost.

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on legal fees in cases relating to the release of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: Legal advice is not routinely sought on requests under the Act.

Housing: Insulation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of how many low income households in each constituency in Nottinghamshire will not have home insulation in 2015.

Edward Davey: The Department does not have projections for the numbers of households with and without insulation by constituency.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to increase the number of replies sent electronically to letters from hon. Members.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) on 7 July 2014, Official Report, columns 5-6W.

Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have been employed full-time by the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil in each month since June 2010.

Michael Fallon: The Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil was established in March 2013. The number of full-time equivalent staff (part-timers rounded up to the nearest FTE) in each month since March 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2013  
			 March to April 2 
			 May 4 
			 June to July 5 
			 August 6 
			 September 8 
			 October to December 9 
			   
			 2014  
			 January to February 10 
			 March to April 9 
			 May to July 11

Public Appointments

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to fill the position of chair of the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office.

Edward Davey: Following the end of a two year agreement with the Department, Peter Boyd completed his formal role as chair for Energy Efficiency Deployment Office in May 2014.
	The Department has decided not to continue a chair role for this office.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many off gas-grid properties have had renewable heating measures installed under the Renewables Heat Incentive.

Edward Davey: The data are currently not available in the requested format. In the autumn, we will publish this breakdown as part of our monthly release of Renewable Heat Incentive statistics, which are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/renewable-heat-incentive-renewable-heat-premium-payment-statistics
	Ofgem have published a report on the first 1,000 accreditations to the domestic scheme. This is available at:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/who-are-domestic-rhis-first-1000-participants
	It includes a breakdown of the type of heating the participants were using before they adopted renewable heat technologies; although, the data may not be representative of the scheme as a whole.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what further reviews of the non-domestic scheme of the Renewable Heat Incentive tariff rates are planned before April 2016.

Edward Davey: During engagement, stakeholders have told us that the scheme changes too frequently, and that this impacts negatively upon market certainty and makes it difficult for stakeholders to stay abreast of the many scheme changes. Therefore, we are intending to move the RHI to a programme of annual internal review, leading to an annual work plan and fewer sets of regulatory change.
	However, we will monitor deployment, and may undertake reviews outside the annual programme, if necessary. The conditions under which we might undertake such reviews are set out in the Government response to our consultation entitled ‘Providing Certainty, Improving Performance’, published on 27 February 2013 and available at: (paragraphs 97-100, pages 39-40):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/128679/Gov_response_to_non_domestic_July_2012_consultation_-_26_02_2013.pdf
	On 28 February this year, due to evidence of a risk of over-compensation, we announced a review of the bio-methane injection tariff. The Biomethane Tariff Review consultation opened on 30 May 2014 and closed to responses on 27 June 2014.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what professional development courses are made available to staff of his Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course.

Edward Davey: DECC would incur disproportionate costs in order to obtain the information.

Uranium

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what forecast he has made of the price of uranium between 2023 and 2058.

Michael Fallon: No forecasts have been made of the price of uranium. However, reactor fuel forms a low proportion of the cost of nuclear power generation so the cost of generating electricity from nuclear power stations is unlikely to fluctuate greatly as a result of changes in the cost of uranium.

Utilities

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what proportion of (a) water, (b) electricity and (c) gas companies is owned by (i) private equity and (ii) hedge funds;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of (a) water, (b) electricity and (c) gas utility companies operating in each region and constituent part of the UK are owned or part-owned by firms registered outside the UK;
	(3)  what proportion of ownership of domestic utilities by companies registered overseas are companies that are (a) state owned or partially owned, (b) public limited companies, (c) private, (d) private equity, (e) hedge fund, (f) unit trust and (g) any other ownership model.

Edward Davey: DECC does not cover the water sector. Information relating to the ownership of UK electricity and gas companies is available on the relevant company websites.

HEALTH

Organ Donation: Presumed Consent

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Welsh Government on the operation of the new Welsh law on presumed consent for organ donation for English residents who are patients in Wales and Welsh residents who are patients in England.

Jane Ellison: Discussions with the Welsh Government have confirmed that Welsh deemed consent legislation will only apply to people “ordinarily resident” in Wales for at least 12 months and who die in Wales. It will not apply to anyone under the age of 18 or to Welsh residents who die outside Wales.

Statutory Regulation: Healthcare Professionals

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to act on the recommendations made by the Health and Care Professions Council to extend statutory regulation to new groups of healthcare professionals.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Care Professions Council made 11 recommendations for professional groups to be brought within the framework for statutory regulation.
	Operating Department Practitioners have been regulated. The Modernising Scientific Careers programme provides health care scientists in scope of the recommendations with standardised and accredited education and training that enables formalised regulation, whether voluntary or statutory.
	Accredited voluntary registration by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) provides an appropriate and proportionate response to risks presented by many groups to patient safety. It is open to groups whose recommendations have not been progressed to applying to the PSA.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each local authority with public health responsibilities in England spent on (a) drug treatment, (b) alcohol treatment and (c) in total in each of the last three financial years; and how much each body is expected to spend in each of the next two years.

Jane Ellison: A breakdown of drug treatment funding for 2012-13, including allocations to local areas has been placed in the Library and can be found at the Public Health England alcohol and drugs website at:
	www.nta.nhs.uk/news-2012-ptb.aspx
	In 2012-13, alcohol services were funded from primary care trusts mainstream budgets. As there were no central reporting requirements, there is no equivalent alcohol funding figure.
	As part of conditions attached to the public health grant, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) requires local authorities to report projected and actual spend on an annual basis. There are categories for spending on adult drug treatment, adult alcohol treatment and young people’s substance misuse interventions.
	Local authority spending forecasts against these categories in 2013-14 have been published by the DCLG. The figures are available in the table “Revenue account (RA) budget 2013 to 2014”, which has been placed in the Library and is also available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2013-to-2014-individual-local-authority-data
	However, not all local authorities submitted their forecasts, so these figures are incomplete. DCLG will publish figures on actual spend later this year.
	Equivalent figures for projected and actual spend for 2014-15 and subsequent years are not yet available.

Better Care Fund

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure the exercise of local discretion in the use of the Better Care Fund.

Norman Lamb: The Better Care Fund has been set up to ensure considerable local discretion. Each plan is developed by local authorities and clinical commissioning groups before being approved by the local health and wellbeing board, to ensure that it is line with local priorities as articulated in joint health and wellbeing strategies. Local areas also have the discretion to put more money than the minimum allocation into the joint fund if this is in the best interest of the community they serve.
	This is the biggest ever investment in integrated care and it is important that investing in new community-based services does not destabilise existing health and care provision in the short term. The Government has put in place some national conditions—for example protection of social care services, seven day services to support discharge, an accountable lead professional to co-ordinate care for those at high risk of hospital admissions—as well as a payment for performance element that links payments to achieving good outcomes for local people while sharing financial risk across health and social care commissioners.
	Local commissioners, with their partners, are best placed to make decisions about how best to make integrated care a reality in their area. These national conditions are proportionate and allow local discretion whilst ensuring best use of public money to support integrated care for improved outcomes.

Breast Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent research findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which indicate that adding tomosynthesis to digital mammography improves the accuracy of breast screening; and whether this new technique will be made available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Breast Screening Programme has been keeping up to date with developments in tomosynthesis and a review of the evidence is in preparation. The Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer Screening is currently being reconstituted and it is hoped the new committee will meet in the autumn/winter 2014. This item will be on the agenda for the new committee's first meeting.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s strategy is to ensure that GPs can detect cancer and refer cancer patients for treatment quicker.

Jane Ellison: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published in January 2011, committed over £450 million over the four years up to 2014-15 to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer, including funding to support direct general practitioner (GP) access to key diagnostic tests and to cover additional testing and treatment costs in secondary care. The intention is that more people presenting with relevant symptoms will be tested and that, as a result, more cancers will be diagnosed at an earlier stage.
	The cancer waiting times two week urgent suspected cancer standard—which is included in the NHS constitution—ensures that, where GPs are concerned that a patient might have cancer, they are seen quickly by secondary care.
	The earlier diagnosis money also included funding for centrally-led Be Clear on Cancer campaigns, which aim to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer and get symptomatic patients to present earlier and for some work to help support GPs.
	In 2012, to increase the awareness of cancer among GPs and support GPs to assess patients more effectively, the Department funded the British Medical Journal Learning to provide an e-learning tool for GPs. Four modules were developed as follows: tackling late diagnosis; risk assessment tools; cancer pathway and the role of primary care; and diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children and young people.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the process of updating the Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer (2005) to ensure that it reflects latest evidence and can continue to support GPs to identify patients with the symptoms of suspected cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate. NICE’s anticipated publication date for the revised guidelines is May 2015.
	Finally, the NHS Outcomes Framework (2014-15), Public Health Outcomes Framework (2013-2016) and the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (2014-15) include cancer indicators to help NHS England and Public Health England assess progress in improving early diagnosis.

Cerebral Palsy: Children

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and training his Department provides to health visitors for supporting parents with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Health Visitor training programme is not a condition specific programme of training. Health visitors are all qualified nurses and/or midwives with a broad range of clinical skills. They undertake an additional year of training to be a health visitor during which they specialise in child and family issues, and develop specialist public health knowledge.
	Health visitors can support families with a child with cerebral palsy in the management of the clinical aspects of the condition. They can also advise on links to other specialist services, resources and groups to support the needs of the family and the child.

Depressive Illnesses: Charities

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of charities set up to help people suffering from depression.

Norman Lamb: The Government consistently recognises the contribution that charities make to the mental health of the people of this country. As recognised in our mental health strategy, “No health without mental health” and in “Closing the Gap: Priorities of essential change in mental health”, charities are integral partners to our drive to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the nation.
	The Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme brings together a range of voluntary sector organisations to inform and shape national policy. The programme provides a forum for policy makers to reach hundreds of thousands of voluntary and community sector organisations through the extensive depth and reach of the partners’ networks. The programme includes a number of mental health charities including the Depression Alliance, the leading charity in the United Kingdom for anyone affected by depression. The Depression Alliance is a member of the Mental Health Providers Forum, who represents a number of charities on the Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme.
	The “Time to Change” campaign, led by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, seeks to end discrimination against people with mental health problems, including those with depression. Between 2011 and 2015 the Department is providing £16 million to the campaign. “Time to Change” includes a national high-profile marketing and media campaign which has successfully reached 29 million people. Recent research has shown a reduction in the average levels of discrimination since 2008.
	The Department, alongside Public Health England and NHS England, is working with voluntary sector stakeholders through the Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme, including the Mental Health Consortia, to support voluntary sector organisations in health and social care and help them realise their potential.

Donors: Organs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage the organisers of the British Transplant Games to hold the games each year in Organ Transplant Week.

Jane Ellison: The British Transplant Games are organised and run by Transplant Sport UK. In the course of its stakeholder engagement, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) regularly communicate with Transplant Sport UK to update them on their activities. However, NHSBT has no involvement in how the games are organised and therefore has no direct input as to when and where the games are held.
	NHSBT does welcome thoughts from the organ donation and transplantation stakeholder community on potential dates for future Organ Transplant Weeks. However, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration for a change of date - both operationally from NHSBT and the transplant community, as well as the wider impact of other high profile events in the healthcare arena/wider public interest. There are benefits of retaining two events, including the potential for double the publicity.

General Practitioners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2014, Official Report, column 704W, on general practitioners, what estimate he has made of the effect of projected population growth from overseas immigration on the demand for GP services over the next 10 years.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised that they are not undertaking any work to estimate the impact of immigration on the numbers of general practitioners (GPs)(or other health services). However, there may be local work being carried out by clinical commissioning groups to ensure they can plan for a growing population.
	The Department commissioned the Centre for Workforce Intelligence to conduct an in-depth review of the GP work force. The report will be published shortly and will build on the preliminary findings published in March 2013.
	The review will assess:
	current work force numbers to forecast supply;
	key drivers affecting work force demand; and
	regional variations in demand.
	The review will make recommendations for future work force planning. It will also address issues such as GP workload and the 2015 recruitment target and beyond, as well as wider issues around primary care delivery.

General Practitioners

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a GP surgery on an Alternative Provider Medical Services contract can transfer onto a General Medical Services contract without a tendering exercise.

Daniel Poulter: There is no automatic right for a contractor holding an Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) contract to transfer to a General Medical Services contract.
	It is for a commissioner to decide on the appropriate process for the award of a new contract for clinical services in accordance with the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) (No.2) Regulations 2013. There is no requirement to competitively tender all health care service contracts under the regulations and decisions will be based on the local circumstances. Monitor has published guidance for commissioners to support their decision making and is able to provide further advice when requested.
	In addition, the provider would need to satisfy the eligibility criteria set out in the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004. It is not necessarily the case that the holder of an APMS contract will satisfy all of these eligibility requirements.

General Practitioners

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP surgeries in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Hyndburn constituency are on (i) an Alternative Provider Medical Services contract and (ii) General Medical Services contracts.

Daniel Poulter: The requested information is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  2010 2011 2012 20131 
			 England     
			 General Medical Services (GMS) Practices 4,538 4,581 4,458 4,345 
			 Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) Practices 262 276 260 271 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority     
			 GMS Practices 787 793 768 — 
			 APMS Practices 57 60 53 — 
			 Lancashire Area Team     
			 GMS Practices — — — 162 
			 APMS Practices — — — 7 
			 East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT)     
			 GMS Practices 47 47 45 — 
			 APMS Practices 2 2 2 — 
			 NHS East Lancashire clinical commissioning group (CCG)     
			 GMS Practices — — — 44 
			 APMS Practices — — — 2 
			 ‘—’ denotes not applicable. 1 Hyndburn constituency was held within and serviced by East Lancashire Teaching PCT in 2010-12 and by NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group in 2013. Prior to the formation of the Area Teams in April 2013, the region of Lancashire was contained within the North West Strategic Health Authority. Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September in each year. 2. GP work force statistics are not available at constituency level; figures are shown for those NHS organisations in operation at the time of the relevant census. 3. Data quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. 
		
	
	Further details and definitions of GP practice contracts can be found in our annual Census publication:
	http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13849

General Practitioners

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP surgeries in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Hyndburn constituency have transferred from an Alternative Provider Medical Services contract to a General Medical Services contract since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: The requested information is contained in the table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  2010 2011 2012 20131 
			 England 7 5 2 — 
			      
			 North West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 1 1 1 — 
			 Lancashire Area Team — — — — 
			      
			 East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) 0 0 0 — 
			 National Health Service East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) — — — — 
			 ‘—’ denotes not applicable. 1Hyndburn constituency was held within and serviced by East Lancashire Teaching PCT in 2010-12 and by NHS East Lancashire clinical commissioning group in 2013. Prior to the formation of the Area Teams in April 2013, the region of Lancashire was contained within the North West SHA. Notes: 1. Changes from Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) to General Medical Services (GMS) contract shows the number of general practitioner (GP) practices recorded with an APMS contract on one census that was subsequently present in the following census as having a GMS contract. For example, between the 2010 and 2011 census there were seven practices that changed from APMS to GMS in England, between 2011 and 2012 there were five and between 2012 and 2013 there were two. 2013 figures will be available upon publication of the 2014 annual census figures. This table shows the number of practices changing from APMS to GMS only. Changes in numbers of APMS practices will also be affected by practices closing, merging or changing from APMS to a different contract other than GMS (Primary Medical Services (PMS) or Primary Care Trust Medical (PCTMS). The top table does not account for every practice in England, those practices with PMS and PCTMS contracts are not shown in the figures. 2. Data as at 30 September in each year. 3. GP work force statistics are not available at constituency level; figures are shown for those NHS organisations in operation at the time of the relevant census. 4. Data quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. 
		
	
	Further details and definitions of GP practice contracts can be found in our annual Census publication:
	www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13849

General Practitioners

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners (a) excluding retainers and registrars, (b) including retainers but excluding registrars there were in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2013-14.

Daniel Poulter: The annual National Health Service General and Personal Medical Services workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the numbers of general practitioners working in the national health service in England at 30 September each year.
	
		
			 General Medical Practitioners full-time equivalents 2010 and 2013-England 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  2010 2013 
			 GPs total 35,243 36,294 
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 31,356 32,075 
		
	
	
		
			 GPs (including retainers but excluding registrars) 31,525 32,201 
			 GP Providers 24,394 24,043 
			 Other GPs 6,962 8,032 
			 GP registrars1, 2 3,718 4,093 
			 GP retainers 169 126 
			 1 GP Registrar count from 2008 onwards represents an improvement in data collection processes and comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. 2 From 2012 GP Registrars have been removed from the GP Workforce collection where a duplicate record already exists on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Due to a change in coding practices in some regions GP Registrars are increasingly recorded on the ESR system rather than the GP Exeter Payment System. All these staff are not shown in the GP Registrar totals but are included in the Hospital and Community Health Service Medical and Dental Registrars total. Notes: 1. These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. 2. Full-time equivalent refers to the proportion of each role’s full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours, 0.5 that they worked half time. 3. From April 2013 Public Health England was excluded from workforce publications. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services workforce census

Health Services: Private Sector

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of independent sector treatment centres.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not carried out a recent formal assessment of the effectiveness and value for money of independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs). Since 1 April 2013, remaining ISTC contracts have been transferred to NHS England. There are six remaining contracts, two of which expire on 31 March 2015 and a further two expiring 31 October 2015. While NHS England continues to make monthly payments to ISTC providers under the remaining contracts and maintains ongoing monthly reporting of value paid to providers, day to day management of the contracts is carried out by local commissioners who have responsibility for budgets and driving value from the contracts.
	As three of the contracts have guaranteed minimum amounts paid to providers, the payment to providers can be greater than the sum of the contract price, multiplied by activity, for each type of activity delivered. Reporting for the latest month of activity analysed, May 2014, shows a 99% value being achieved in that month with the shortfall arising from two contracts covering elective care activity in the south-west and Manchester.

Hearing Aids

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to clinical commissioning groups on the provision of hearing aids free at the point of delivery for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not issue advice to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on hearing aid provision.
	Local commissioners are responsible for commissioning the provision of hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss, based on the needs of their local population. In doing so, CCGs take into consideration relevant clinical guidance, which may include guidance from appropriate national bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Heart Diseases

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the medical care for patients suffering from heart disease.

Jane Ellison: The Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, sets out actions to improve outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease, including heart disease.
	The Strategy recommends that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and NICE Quality Standards to help inform their commissioning intentions in this area. CCGs are being encouraged to implement the Strategy with the support of the 12 Strategic Clinical Networks.
	In addition, in December 2013, NHS England published a web based resource, ‘Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition’,to support CCGs in reducing premature mortality and to inform production of their two and five year strategic plans for improving health outcomes in their own areas. The web based resource encompasses a range of evidence-based clinical interventions, many of which are linked to the actions in the Strategy.
	NHS Improving Quality is also focusing its work on the major causes of premature death, including heart disease.

Ibuprofen

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of recent research findings published by Newcastle University which indicate that use of ibuprofen may retard premature ageing and the development of diabetes and dementia.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no assessment of these research findings.

ICT

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Daniel Poulter: The following table gives details of losses and thefts of mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops for (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to end June.
	The Department cannot always distinguish between items lost or stolen so the information below may cover both.
	
		
			  Mobile telephones BlackBerrys Laptops 
			 2013 3 17 0 
			 2014 (to end June) 1 12 0

Medical Treatments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 281W, on medical treatments, what the most plausible cost per quality adjusted life-year was for each technology appraisal conducted by the National Institute for Care Excellence since June 2010; what the estimated patient population was for each appraised indication; on which appraisals the end-of-life criteria were applied in each final appraisal determination; and on what dates each appraisal was (a) initiated and (b) concluded.

Norman Lamb: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 237W.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next plans to meet representatives of NHS foundation trusts plans to discuss measures to address deficits.

Daniel Poulter: The Department, along with NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA), are taking a number of actions to tackle the trust deficit position and to drive forward transformation change. Monitor is working with trusts in deficit to draw up action plans and making sure their leaders are doing what they need to do to continue providing excellent patient care. In addition, for 2014-15 NHS TDA, NHS England and Monitor are establishing a package of joint support and challenge to some of the weakest local health economies.

Patients: Transport

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients received hospital transport in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much money has been spent on hospital transport in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what the average cost is of providing a patient with hospital transport.

Jane Ellison: The following table shows how many patients received special/planned transport in each of the last five years.
	
		
			      (millions) 
			  2008-091 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Special 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.03 
			 Planned 9.51 9.40 8.79 8.26 7.10 
			 Special/planned Total 9.59 9.47 8.84 8.29 7.13 
			 1 Data for 2013-14 have not been published yet, therefore 2008-09 data have been included to complete the five year series. 
		
	
	The total amount spent on hospital transport in each of the last five years by national health service trusts is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  NHS Trust spend (£000) 
			 2008-091 325,038 
			 2009-10 312,524 
			 2010-11 341,517 
			 2011-12 344,572 
			 2012-13 320,162 
			 1 NHS Trust spends for 2013-14 has not been published yet, therefore 2008-09 data have been included to complete the five year series. 
		
	
	The total amount spent on hospital transport in each of the last five years by foundation trusts (FTs) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  FT Trust spend (£000) Number of FTs at start of year1 Number of FTs at end of year1 
			 2009-10    
			 2010-11 21,735 129 136 
			 2011-12 23,195 136 143 
			 2012-13 25,149 143 145 
			 2013-14 25,915 145 147 
			 1 The changing amount of spend will be affected by more FTs being authorised each year. These figures include spend from the point at which FTs are authorised, including if mid-year. Clinical commissioning groups also commission patient transport services; however, cost data are not collected centrally. Information on the average cost of providing a patient with hospital transport is not collected centrally.

Primodos

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on allegations that the Government was warned about the dangers of the pregnancy testing drug Primodos in 1967 but did not ban it until 1978; and what steps he has taken as a result of those representations.

Norman Lamb: Primodos was a hormonal pregnancy test which became available in the United Kingdom in 1959 and was discontinued by the manufacturer for commercial reasons in 1978. Since June 2010, the Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have, between them, received 157 letters related to Primodos and there have been four parliamentary questions. In addition, there have been six meetings on the subject of Primodos in this period. The MHRA has considered the key evidence and concluded that the data are not sufficient to support a causal association between the use of hormonal pregnancy tests and congenital abnormalities. The MHRA assessment was published on its website in April 2014.

Primodos

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will instigate a public inquiry into the issuing of prescriptions for Primodos to pregnant women through the NHS before 1978.

Norman Lamb: Decisions about holding a public inquiry have to be proportionate to the need identified, taking into account the likely benefits, time and expense. The evidence has not established that Primodos and other hormonal pregnancy tests have caused congenital anomalies and the Government does not believe that a public inquiry is justified.

Prisoner Escapes: Mental Illness

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many offenders who absconded from mental health units in each of the last 10 years remain at large;
	(2)  how many offenders of each offence type have escaped from mental health units in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: As of 14 July 2014 there are seven restricted patients unlawfully at large. Restricted patients are patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 following criminal proceedings and subject to a restriction order or a restriction or limitation direction. Two absconded in the last week in April 2014. The remaining four are long term, one from each of the years 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010.
	The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Restricted patients—absconds and escapes from Mental Health Hospitals 2010-13 
			  Absconds Escapes 
			 2010 106 7 
			 2011 104 16 
			 2012 135 11 
			 2013 142 11 
			 Notes: 1. “Abscond” means to leave lawful detention without overcoming a physical barrier, for example, getting away from escorts on community or compassionate leave. 2. "Escape" means to leave lawful detention by overcoming a physical barrier, for example by scaling a perimeter fence. 3. These figures relate to restricted mentally disordered offenders who were detained in hospital at the time of their abscond or escape. Community leave for restricted patients must be agreed by the Ministry of Justice. 4. The increase in the number of recorded Absconds probably reflects the much improved reporting and recording of such incidents, ranging from the patient who is a few minutes late back from a scheduled trip, to a longer term, intentional abscond. 5. The figures include patients who Abscond/Escape more than once.

Prisoners: Veterans

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the number of prisoners who have previously served in the armed forces; and how many such people have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder;
	(2)  what medical assessment is made of the mental health of ex-armed forces personal who are imprisoned in order to assess the presence of post traumatic stress disorder.

Norman Lamb: Data are not collected centrally about the current or previous occupations of those convicted of criminal offences. Information is therefore not available on the number of prisoners who have previously served in the armed forces nor on the number of ex-service personnel who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, in 2010, the Ministry of Justice and Defence Analytical Services and Advice estimated that approximately 3.5% (2,280) of prisoners in England and Wales were ex-service personnel.
	All prisoners in England, including ex-service personnel prisoners, are subject to Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 74/2011 “Early days in custody—reception in, first night in custody, and induction to custody”
	. 
	This requires that reception screening is provided before the prisoner’s first night, to assess a prisoner’s risk of self-harm and suicide, risk of harm to others, or risk of harm from others. People with a severe mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, may be referred for a further mental health assessment. A copy of this PSI has been placed in the Library. NHS England and the National Offender Management Service are reviewing all PSIs, so current guidance is subject to change.
	Stephen Phillips QC, MP is conducting an independent review of ex-service personnel within the criminal justice system (CJS). The mental health needs of veterans in the CJS will be included within the review, which is due to report back to the Ministry of Justice in autumn 2014.

Smoking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department has spent on anti-smoking awareness campaigns in each of the last four years.

Jane Ellison: The total Department spend on national anti-smoking campaigns (Smokefree) over the last four years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Media spend (£ million) 
			 2010-11 0.46 
			 2011-12 3.16 
			 2012-13 8.21 
			 2013-14 7.64 
		
	
	It should be noted that the figures for 2013-14 are provisional.
	For spend before April 2012, advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, Central Office of Information (COI) commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. These figures do not include the Department’s recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by national health service organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this reflects central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.
	From April 2012 onward is departmental advertising spend only. Spend from April 2013 onwards is Public Health England advertising spend only. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs and VAT). All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.
	Further information on the harms of smoking can be found on the Smokefree website at:
	www.nhs.uk/smokefree
	and also in the range of Smokefree support products.

Stafford Hospital

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people have been admitted as day cases at Stafford Hospital in each year since 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a patient classification of “day case” for patients aged between 0 and 17 (inclusive) treated at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust for each year since 2009-10 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Count of FAEs 
			 2009-10 828 
			 2010-11 748 
			 2011-12 701 
			 2012-13 829 
			 2013-14 (provisional) 729 
			 Notes: 1. FAE: An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2. Hospital Provider: A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (eg national health service trust or primary care trust). Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using this data as the counts may be lower than true figures. 3. Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care): Hospital Episode Statistics figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 4. Provisional data: The data is provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, ie November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Stafford Hospital

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children and young people have been seen as outpatients at Stafford Hospital in each of the years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of out-patient attendances for individuals aged 0-17 (inclusive) at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, since 2009-10 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of out-patient attendances 
			 2009-10 23,257 
			 2010-11 25,275 
			 2011-12 26,624 
			 2012-13 26,887 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 (provisional) 27,163 
			 Notes: 1. Out-patient attendances: A patient's treatment in out-patients can consist of a series of attendances; a distinction between the first in the series and subsequent attendances is commonly reported. The data provided here includes all episodes, whether it was a first or a subsequent attendance, and also includes tele-consultations. 2. Assessing growth through time (Out-patients): HES figures are available from 2003-04 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 3. Provisional data: The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)

Stafford Hospital

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people attended the accident and emergency department at Stafford Hospital in each of the years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14.

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of unplanned accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, for each year since 2009-10, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  A&E attendances 
			 2009-10 51,031 
			 2010-11 51,312 
			 2011-12 49,655 
			 2012-13 45,344 
			 2013-14 (provisional) 46,302 
			 Notes: 1. A&E attendance: A count of the number of attendances at A&E. This does not represent the number of patients as an individual may attend on more than one occasion in any given period. 2. Hospital Provider: A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS trust or primary care trust). Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using this data as the counts may be lower than true figures. 3. Assessing growth through time (A&E): HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 4. Provisional data 2013-14: The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. 5. Official source of A&E activity data: HES is not the official source of total A&E activity; this is the NHS England situation reports collection www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ However, HES permits further analysis of A&E activity as there are a range of data items by which HES can be analysed. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)

Stafford Hospital

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people attending the paediatrics assessment unit were not transferred from the accident and emergency department at Stafford hospital in each year since 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	We have written to Alan Bloom, Trust Special Administrator of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust informing him of your inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Supported Housing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the net cost of supported living in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the net cost of intentional communities in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK;
	(3)  how many intentional communities have closed in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK since 2005; and how many remain open in each area;
	(4)  how many people were in supported living or intentional communities in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in 2005.

Norman Lamb: No estimate has been made of the net cost of supported living in Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire and the United Kingdom nor of the net cost of intentional communities in Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire and the UK. Information is not held centrally of the number of intentional communities that have closed in Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire and the UK and how many remain open in each area.
	On 8 July 2014 the Health and Social Care Information Centre published the latest data for the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, which is the provisional data release for 2013-14. The data indicated that in 2013-14, 74.8% of people with a learning difficulty in England live in their own home or with their family and 25.2% live in a range of other settings including registered care homes, nursing homes and acute and long stay hospitals. For Lancashire, the provisional figure for adults with a learning difficulty living in their own home or with their family was 91.2% and the provisional figure for those living in a range of other settings including registered care homes, nursing homes and acute and long stay hospitals was 8.8%. For adults in contact with secondary mental health services in England, the provisional data indicated that 60.9% were living independently with or without support and 29.1% were living in a range of settings including registered care homes, nursing homes and long stay hospitals. The provisional figure for Lancashire of adults in contact with secondary mental health services who were living independently with or without support was 32% and the provisional figure for adults in contact with secondary mental health services living in a range of settings including registered care homes, nursing homes and long stay hospitals was 68%.

Surgery

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask NHS England to establish a Clinical Reference Group for Robotic Assisted Surgery to consider the use of technology across the full range of specialties where the Da Vinci system can be used; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England, through its Specialised Commissioning structures, which include Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), is currently developing a commissioning policy for Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS). As part of the policy development process CRGs were invited to submit potential applications for RAS. These have informed the evidence review and will underpin the development of the commissioning policy.

Surgery

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask NHS England to amend Specialised Services Circular 1407 to allow NHS trusts to continue to train surgeons on the use of robotic assisted surgery in the absence of a national commissioning policy.

Jane Ellison: NHS England Robotic Assisted Surgery: New Market Entrants (specialised services circular SSC 1407) does not ask national health service trusts to stop training surgeons in the use of robotic assisted surgery; where robotic equipment is in use this should be supported by continuous prospective audit and learning.

Tobacco: Packaging

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that a final policy announcement on the standardised packaging of tobacco will be made on the floor of the House.

Jane Ellison: The Government has not yet made a final decision on whether to introduce regulations to require standardised packaging of tobacco products. A consultation is currently underway to inform decision-making and it will close on 7 August 2014. The consultation is available at the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products-draft-regulations
	If a decision is made to proceed with the policy, regulations for standardised packaging would be subject to affirmative resolution of both Houses of Parliament.
	We will give consideration to how an announcement will be made once relevant policy decisions have been taken by the Government.

Tobacco: Packaging

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will conduct a separate consultation into the intellectual property implications of standardised tobacco packaging and its potential effect on the Exchequer.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on standardised packaging of tobacco; and if he will conduct a separate consultation on the potential intellectual property implications of such a policy being introduced in the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Government is currently holding a United Kingdom-wide consultation on introducing regulations for standardised packaging of tobacco products, which was published on 26 June. The consultation will run for six weeks and conclude on 7 August and we are seeking any new and relevant information that may help in assessing the wider impact of standardised packaging, including any views on the potential impact on intellectual property. We would encourage anyone with an interest in standardised packaging to respond to the consultation, including responding with any information or evidence relevant to the intellectual property implications of standardised tobacco packaging and its potential effect on the Exchequer.

Translation Services

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on providing translation and interpretation services in each year since 2010.

Daniel Poulter: The Department’s spend on interpreters and translation costs for each financial year since 2010-11 to latest available year 2013-14 are all contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Department of Health Spend (excluding VAT) 
			  Category Total (£) 
			 2010-11 Interpretation and Translation 39,284.01 
			 2011-12 Interpretation and Translation 3,653.15 
			 2012-13 Interpretation and Translation 5,831.45 
			 2013-14 Interpretation and Translation 9,076.00 
			  Total 57,844.61

Whooping Cough

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS has taken to address recent increases in the incidence of whooping cough in the UK.

Jane Ellison: In addition to the national health service routine immunisation schedule, where whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is offered to all children at two, three and four months of age with a further dose offered at pre-school age, the Department introduced a temporary pertussis vaccination programme for pregnant women in October 2012 following the national outbreak in April 2012.
	Providing the vaccine to pregnant women between weeks 28 and 38 of pregnancy, results in high levels of antibody against pertussis being transferred to the baby in the womb, protecting them until they are old enough to receive their first pertussis vaccine at the age of two months. Good vaccine uptake has been achieved with approximately 60% of pregnant women immunised in the six months to March 2014.
	The main aim of the NHS routine immunisation schedule and the temporary vaccination programme for pregnant women is to protect young infants who are at greatest risk of serious disease and death. Pertussis is a cyclical disease but overall activity in England has fallen between October 2012 and March 2014. Confirmed cases in infants less than three months were 54% lower in the first quarter of 2014 (12 cases) than the equivalent quarter in 2013 (26 cases).